Written in Blood
by Aireon Maris
Summary: Tension over the Hellmouth comes to a head when prophecies clash with the First Evil and the fate of the world hangs on a single wish.
1. The End

Written in Blood

Tension over the Hellmouth comes to a head when prophecies clash with the First Evil and the fate of the world hangs on a single wish.

Author's note: "Written in Blood" is the fourth in the Cadence Saga. Please read the prequels first: "Sunshine and Shadows," "Maximum Entropy," and "Fragile." If you like what you read, let me know!

Disclaimer: I'm borrowing all recognizable characters. I just didn't tell Joss Wheedon or Mutant Enemy.

Flames will be used to cast vengeance spells.

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The wine cellar was full of barrels and struggling bodies. It had started out as a rescue mission: get Caddie back from the psychotic homocidal priest and get out of there. But it had turned out to be a trap and now the Scoobies were fighting for their lives.

It had all gone horribly wrong. One by one the Scoobies fell, broken and bleeding. Caleb stood watching it all, holding Caddie tight at his side. The girl was so scared it was all she could do to remain conscious. She wasn't even glowing anymore.

Buffy's breath was starting to come in ragged gasps. No matter how many Bringers she cut down, more appeared to take their place. She fought against despair and spared a moment to look for Angel.

He was beset by three Bringers, his sword flashing in the dim light. As Buffy watched, a fourth jumped onto his back, causing him to stumble forward. The Bringer grabbed Angel's head and twisted hard, the snap of bone echoeing through the cellar. The bringers immediately lost interest in him as his lifeless body slipped to the ground.

Buffy's sould froze in horror. She couldn't even scream. Then she felt a strange tugging in her stomach and she looked down to see a knife blade protruding from her stomach. It disappeared, leaving a gaping wound that poured blood. She dropped to her knees, her body already growing cold. She sighed and fell forward into the pool of her own blood.


	2. In Between

Buffy fell forward towards the stone floor and for a second she saw her reflection in the crimson puddle and then she passed through it and found herself in a gray world: intangible and indefinable. She scrabbled for the wound that had destroyed her but found only bloodstained clothing and smooth skin.

"Hey, Buff."

She whirled around and gasped, then ran to throw her arms around the figure standing a few paces away. "Xander! Oh, my God, I missed you so much!"

He hugged her back. "Yeah, me too."

Buffy abruptly pulled away. "Wait, you're dead! And if you're dead that means I'm dead. No! I can't be dead!"

Xander shook his head. "You're not dead, yet. Not completely. You're kind of in between, to be exact."

"Say what?" Buffy asked, tilting her head and giving him her "huh?" look.

"Okay. It's like this," Xander explained. "After all the blood, sweat, and tears you've shed fighting on the side of good, the Powers That Be decided they owe you a favor."

"Ya think?" Buffy demanded incredulously. "I just watched Angel die. _Again!_"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Xander said sincerely.

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself. "Okay, so what's this favor the PTBs are going to do me?"

"They're going to give you a wish, but you have to be careful, because there are rules."

"Of course there are," said a familiar voice. Buffy turned to glare at her perfect double. "You know, _I_ don't have rules," the not-Buffy continued. "That's why you never stopped me."

"I don't suppose I could wish that the First was defeated, could I?" Buffy asked, glaring at her doppelganger.

"Nope," Xander said with a sigh. "That would be too easy."

"Despite their name, the Powers That Be aren't really all that powerful," the not-Buffy said with a lazy flick of her hair. "After all, where were they when I took Spike's soul? Or when your Watcher died? Hmm?"

Buffy clenched her jaw to keep herself from screaming and deliberately turned away from her double. "So I can wish for pretty much anything else?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Xander said with a shrug.

"I could wish you were alive again?" she pressed.

Xander nodded with a closed expression. "If you wanted to," he said neutrally.

"You could even wish your precious Angel alive again," the not-Buffy said. "You could wish Caleb had never kidnapped Caddie and that disaster you called a rescue never happened."

Buffy hated to admit it, but the First was right. She could prevent anyone from being killed. She could do more. She could wish away the Slayer duties and her family could live normal lives and not have to worry about demons and apocalypses. After everything she had done for the side of good, didn't she deserve to be selfish just once?

"You always wanted a happily ever after," the not-Buffy said seductively. "Now's your chance. All you have to do is wish it."

Buffy took a deep breath and turned to Xander. "I know what I want," she said in a tremulous voice. He nodded encouragingly. She squared her shoulders and said in a loud, clear voice, "I wish for the strength to defeat the First Evil."

A scream of rage filled her ears as the gray world spun into darkness and a multitude of voices declared, "Done!"

A lone girl ran through the streets of a strange city, pursued by faceless shadows. She tried desperately to evade them, but they were relentless. The converged on her as she took cover in an empty building, holding her down despite her struggles. One held up a glinting knife and swung it in a deadly arc. Blood sprayed on the ground as the knife struck again and again. For a moment there was silence, and then the girl's eyes snapped open, revealing cloudy white orbs. She spoke in a dead, rasping voice.

"_From beneath you, it devours."_

Buffy woke with a faint scream, striking out at half-remembered assailants. Her wrists were captured in a strong grip and she was shaken gently. "Buffy! Buffy, calm down. It's just a dream."

She hauled in a ragged breath and opened her eyes to see her husband studying her with a concerned expression. "Oh. Hi," she said weakly.

"That must have been one hell of a nightmare," Angel said, probing gently. "Are you okay?"

"I-I don't think it was a nightmare," Buffy said, freeing one hand to rub her face.

"A Slayer dream?" Angel asked.

"Maybe. There was a girl…they killed her." Buffy frowned and shook her head. "From beneath you, it devours."

"What?" Angel asked, his brow furrowed.

"That's what the girl said after they killed her. 'From beneath you, it devours.'" She shuddered and Angel drew her into his arms.

"Don't worry about it. We'll tell Giles when we see him today and he'll take care of it, okay?"

Buffy sighed and rested her forehead against his neck. There was something else, nagging at the back of her mind…She shrugged and pushed it aside. "Okay," she agreed. She lay for a moment in his embrace and then groaned. "It's today, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yup," Angel replied with a sigh of his own.

"Dammit," Buffy muttered, sitting up. "I am so not ready for this."

"You knew it would happen sometime," Angel told her.

"I'd rather it be never," she complained, crawling out of bed.

The girls were in the kitchen, Dawn babbling to a very unenthusiastic Micah. Caddie quietly munched her way through a bowl of dry cereal—she didn't really like milk. Buffy opened the cupboard to get two mugs and saw they were all in the sink. She sighed in frustration.

"Dawn, what did I tell you about your boyfriend leaving his dishes in the sink?" she said irately.

"He's not my boyfriend," Dawn shot back. "Not for another four months, remember?"

Both Dawn and Spike were literally counting down the days until Dawn turned sixteen. Until then, they both adhered to the hands-off policy Buffy and implemented. The last thing either of them wanted to do was piss off the Slayer.

"Mother, do I have to go today?" Micah asked, her expression pleading. She could pass for a human as long as she didn't show her teeth. Her short, chin-length hair was glossy black and her pale blue eyes glowed faintly. Her skin was translucent and completely resistant to tanning.

"It's necessary in order to integrate you," Buffy told her with a sigh. "I don't like it either, sweetie."

Micah put her head on the counter and groaned. "High school sucks," she muttered.


	3. The Mouth of Hell

"It doesn't look evil," Micah said, tilting her head to look at the rather aesthetically pleasing campus.

"Trust me, it is," Buffy said. "It tried to kill me for three years."

"We'll be okay, Buffy," Dawn said with infinite patience. "I promised to take care of Micah, remember?"

"Right, because I need Auntie Dawn to baby-sit me," Micah muttered. Buffy gave her daughter a look. She was starting to sound disturbingly like Dawn. It was amazing how quickly they adapted.

"Hey, lose the 'auntie' junk," Dawn said. "It makes me sound all doilies and blue hair. I'm less than a year older than you."

"Okay, enough already," Buffy said as they passed under the archway entrance. "Let's just get this over with."

"Tough to let them go, huh?"

Buffy swung around sharply at the voice behind her. "What?" she asked ingeniously, staring at the tall, attractive African-American man standing a few paces away.

"Robin Wood," he introduced, presenting his hand. "I'm the new principle"

Buffy shook his hand warmly. "Buffy Summers. This is Dawn and Micah."

"Hi," Dawn gave a little wave but Micah simply stared with her eerie, luminescent eyes.

"Nice to meet you," Wood said, nodding at the girls.

"So you're the new principle," Buffy mused, looking him up and down. "I expected you to be more…aged."

"Huh. You seem a bit young to have such grown-up daughters," Wood retorted.

"Um, I'm sister," Dawn said, holding up her hand. She pointed at Micah. "She's the daughter."

Buffy was glad for Dawn's interruption because being called young threw her. She had raised Micah since the Fey was a toddler.

Wood looked from Dawn to Micah curiously. "How does that work out?"

"I'm adopted," Micah said challengingly, as if daring Wood to disparage her for that fact.

"Oh, right. Of course." Wood nodded. "I actually have heard of you, Mrs. Summers. You graduated from the old high school, am I right?"

"Feels like forever ago," Buffy said dryly.

"Well, I'd better get back to work. You have fun."

"He's evil," Micah growled as she glared at his retreating back.

"Probably only a little," Buffy said.

"Okay. Bye, now!" Dawn said, giving Buffy a little push.

"All right, all right." Buffy hugged Micah quickly and planted a kiss in the Fey child's hair. "Remember, if you see anything strange—"

"Tell Father," Micah said wearily. "We know, Mother."

Buffy heaved a sigh as she watched the two girls hurry across the courtyard, arm in arm. At least Caddie had a few years yet.

*****

Robin Wood heaved a sigh and rubbed his hand over his shaved head. It wasn't even lunch yet and he had the participants of the first fight sitting outside his office. He opened the door and stepped into the hall, looking down at the pair of students seated on the bench.

The boy was slumped with his arms crossed over his chest, already sporting a black eye and swollen lip. Robin turned to the attacker and cocked an eyebrow. Micah Summers sat stiffly on the opposite side of the bench, looking very much like a cat with her fur ruffled. There wasn't a scratch on her.

"Ryan, why don't you go on into my office, please," Robin said. The boy got to his feet and slouched past him into the office. Micah lifted her strange, pale eyes to Robin's face, showing no trace of either apprehension or remorse. "As for you, you're father will deal with you after his class gets out," Robin said firmly, and was satisfied to see a hint of uncertainty enter the girl's face.

Half an hour later, the new world literature teacher stood with Robin in the principle's office while Micah sat in the chair, staring straight ahead.

"What happened, Micah?" Angel Summers asked wearily. He didn't sound in the least surprised, which made Robin very curious.

"He said I was a freak," Micah replied woodenly. "He called me 'fish-eyes' and tried to take my bag." Her gaze flicked up to meet her father's. "He was very immature."

"Micah, you can't go around beating up everyone who makes you mad," Angel said with a sigh. (_Angel, Buffy, Micah_, Robin though. _Odd names must run in the family._)

A tiny furrow creased the skin between her dark eyebrows. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because it's not how things are done here," Angel burst out. He glanced quickly at Robin. "In school," he finished quickly. He put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You aren't a freak, Mic," he said gently. "You know that. If you meet someone ignorant enough to call you that, well, you know better. You can't let people like Ryan provoke you, all right?"

Micah nodded once, her gaze dropping to her lap. "Are you angry with me?" she whispered. Angel touched her cheek.

"No, I'm not. Everyone makes mistakes, darling. Just don't repeat them, okay?"

"Okay." She hesitated, and then looked up at her father. "May I go now?"

"Yes. Get to class."

Micah hopped up, grabbed her backpack, and glided out the door. Angel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"She's a very polite girl," Robin said.

"Yes, she is," Angel murmured. "She just has a few…social issues."

"I understand she's adopted?" Robin probed. Angel shot him a shuttered look.

"I don't see how that matters," he said sharply. "Excuse me, but I have to get back to work." He hurried out, leaving Robin feeling even more curious about the Summers family.


	4. The First Divergence

Dawn was helping Micah with her math homework in the kitchen while Angel made supper. Spike was tutoring Caddie in history; they had decided to educate the child at home until she reached high school. Buffy sat in the living room, her chest of weapons at hand. Her favorite battle-axe lay across her lap, and she rubbed an oiled rag across the blade, searching for any remaining rust spots. Blood was so very corrosive.

Buffy felt an odd sense of security, as if what was happening should happen. At the same time, she was plagued by a feeling of déjà vu. She couldn't stop thinking about Xander. He had been killed over two years ago by the Initiative as the young man attempted to protect Buffy and the then-unborn Caddie.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, when the doorbell rang. Buffy startled, cutting her finger against the edge of the axe blade. "That's not supposed to happen," she said to herself, setting the weapon aside. She absently stuck her finger in her mouth as she opened the door.

On the other side was a lanky, blonde young man of medium height, probably eighteen or nineteen years old. His face was pale and haggard, and he appeared to be trembling all over. "Are you Buffy? You're Buffy, right? Please, you have to help me," he babbled, his eyes wide and frightened.

Buffy removed her finger from her mouth without looking away from the boy. "Who are you?"

"I'm Andrew Wells," he said rapidly. "And if you don't help me, I'm going to be dead."

She stood aside without another word to let him into the house. As she closed the door, she caught sight of Spike eyeing the newcomer from the dining room, evaluating the threat he posed. Apparently Spike wasn't too concerned, because he almost immediately dismissed Andrew and turned his attention back to Caddie. Buffy felt a little relieved and a lot confused. When had Spike's opinion become so important to her?

"Angel!" she called. "Problem!"

He appeared with a dishcloth over one shoulder. His reaction to Andrew was pretty much the same as Spikes: a quick evaluation and immediate dismissal. "What problem?"

"Andrew Wells here claims if we don't help him, he's dead," Buffy explained.

"It's true," the boy insisted. "I'm not lying, I swear."

"Wells," Angel said musingly. "Why is that familiar?"

"Tucker Wells is my older brother," Andrew admitted. When Angel only frowned further, Andrew elaborated, "Hellhounds on prom night?"

Angel nodded then. "Right. And what is so dire that you've come to us, Andrew?"

"You're the Slayer, right?" Andrew asked Buffy. "I mean, everyone knows you're the Slayer. Everyone in the supernatural community, that is, because it's not like I go blabbing around who's the Slayer to just anyone to asks because that would be really stupid and—"

"Babble less. Talk more," Buffy interrupted.

Andrew blinked and wrapped his arms around himself, his expression once more growing terrified. "It's Warren," he whispered.

"Warren?" Buffy echoed. "Warren Mears lovebot girlfriend Warren?"

"Yeah, that Warren," Andrew said, swallowing hard.

"Why, what's he done now?" Buffy demanded.

Andrew tried to make himself as small as possible, hunching his shoulders and dropping his head. "He killed Jonathan," he said in a tiny voice.

"Jonathan who?" Angel pressed.

Andrew gave him an odd look. "Jonathan Levinson."

"WHAT?" Buffy yelled, her mind racing. _No, no, no, this wasn't supposed to happen,_ was her first thought. Her second was, _after everything I went through to save his life! That son of a bitch!_

"Why?" Angel put his hand on Buffy's shoulder to calm her. "Why did Warren kill Jonathan?"

"I didn't know he was going to, I promise," Andrew said, his breath coming in gasps. "He just said we had to open the seal and we'd have more power than we'd ever imagined. He didn't say anything about blood. But he was going crazy! Talking to himself and being all secretive. It's not may fault. I swear it's not my fault!"

Caddie got up from the dining room table and walked over. She took Andrew's hand and led him to the couch, gesturing for him to sit. When he did, she sat next to him, still holding his hand. "Of course it wasn't your fault," she said gently. "Take a breath. Start from the beginning and tell us everything."

*****

"Okay, this is definitely Giles' territory," Buffy said uneasily, standing at the edge of the hole. She was flanked by Angel and Spike, who were giving the metal seal at the bottom of the hole disturbingly identical looks.

"Yeah," Angel muttered. "Didn't Andrew say Warren killed Jonathan?"

"I believe he did," Spike replied.

"So…where's the body?"

"Blood's still fresh," Spike commented with a sniff. "About two, maybe three hours old."

Angel sent his grand-childe an exasperated glare. "Thank you, Spike. I can tell that, you know."

"'M just sayin'," the vampire mumbled, glaring back.

"Look, we've confirmed Andrew's story, now we can go back home and wait until morning to get Giles' opinion on…whatever the hell that thing is," Buffy said, stepping away from the hole. "Let's get out of here. This is giving me the wiggins."

"There's a lot of dark power in here," Spike said musingly, circling around the hole. His eyes remained fixed on the seal. "It's coming from that thing. Can you feel it? It's almost intoxicating."

"Spike!" Angel said reprovingly.

"What? I'm a vampire! I'm attuned to darkness!" Spike protested. Buffy shook her head with a growl of frustration and headed for the door.

"You're going to be dating my sister-in-law," Angel told Spike as they followed the Slayer. "Maybe you should remember that before you open your mouth."

"Ours is a very twisted relationship, you know?" Spike replied.

"I don't even want to think about that!"

Buffy listened to them trade barbs until they left school grounds. "Okay, enough!" she exclaimed. "If you two seriously can't get along, I'm going to start leaving you at home," she threatened.

"He started it," they said at the same time, and then glared.

Buffy resisted the urge to smack her head against something hard and then had to restrain herself from smacking _them_ hard. "You're children! Both of you!" She turned on her heel and began to stalk down the street. Angel and Spike followed at a distance, muttering under their breath.

"Now look, you've gone and made her mad," Spike hissed.

"Will you shut up already? God, sometimes I do not know why I bothered to convince Buffy to help you."

"Because you feel responsible. And you bloody are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Idiot."

"Poofter."

"Guys!"

"Sorry," they both muttered, wilting under Buffy's glare. Then her eyes widened.

"Behind you!" she cried. The two men spun around, stepping backwards simultaneously to get out of range of the knives being flashed in their faces. Two hooded figures lunged out of the shadows. Buffy heard a noise and spun around to see two more converging on them. She attacked on instinct, trying to ignore the creeping horror she felt at the sight of them.

The fight was intense and deadly. Each of the attackers was armed with a knife that they wielded with prowess. It was only Slayer instinct that kept Buffy from getting hurt. She lost count of how many she was up against and just dealt with the one in front of her.

Then, as abruptly as they had come, they were gone. Buffy and Angel stood back-to-back, panting slightly with exertion. There were two bodies on the ground, and Angel used his foot to turn one over.

"Oh, God," he muttered. "That's disturbing."

It had once been human—maybe. Whatever it had been, it's eyes were sewn shut in the shape of ancient runes.

"I recognize them," Buffy whispered. _They killed you_, she thought, and blinked. _No, that's not right. Where the hell had that come from?_ "In my dream. They killed the girl."

"From beneath you? That dream?"

"Yeah, that dream," Buffy replied. She shivered. It felt as if something cold had gripped her spine. "We need to talk to Giles. Now."

"Agreed," Angel said with a firm nod. He glanced around to ensure the area was secure. "Um…Buffy? Where's Spike?"


	5. Potential Problems

"Gone?" Dawn's voice edged into the next octave up. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Missing," Buffy said. "We made sure to look for ashes or dust. Spike is still alive. I think those…things must have taken him."

"Why?" Dawn demanded.

Angel rubbed his forehead. "We don't know, Dawn. Andrew, did you ever see these things before?"

"No," the boy replied, shaking his head. "We—uh, I can summon demons, but I've never heard of anything like this before."

"But you've seen them in your dreams before?" Giles asked Buffy.

"Uh-huh," Buffy said distractedly. Micah insisted on cleaning and bandaging the slash wound on her arm, and the rubbing alcohol stung.

"Can you describe this seal one more time?"

"Big, demon-y, uh…goat head?" Buffy said. "We really didn't stick around. Especially after Spike mentioned dark energy."

"He said it emanated from the seal," Angel explained.

"We're going to find him, right?" Dawn asked. "We're going to get him back, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Angel assured her. "Calm down, Dawnie. Spike's going to be okay."

Caddie put her hand on Dawn's shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. "We can try tracking him by scent: Micah, Father, and I," she suggested.

"Good idea," Giles said. He got to his feet. "Shall I call the others? We may need their help if retrieving Spike will include a conflict."

"Could you?" Buffy asked as Micah finished bandaging the wound.

"What about me?" Andrew asked, looking uncertain.

"You're staying here until we resolve this situation with Warren and the seal," Buffy told him. "I don't want you getting hurt."

He seemed to wilt in relief. "Thank you," he murmured. Caddie smiled at him reassuringly.

Giles moved to the door. "I'll round up the others and be back as soon as I can. I suppose you'll see if you can pick up Spike's scent in the meantime?" He pulled the door open and froze. "Good lord," he said, blinking.

Buffy was at his side in a flash, her own mouth falling open. She knew the man standing on her front porch, but her brain refused to recognize him. Gone were the wire-rimmed glasses hiding the intense, blue eyes. The hair was lighter now, and stubble covered the once clean-cut chin.

"Wesley!" Buffy gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The Watcher seemed about to reply when a teenage girl pushed past him into the house. "Nice place. Bit of a mess," she said in a heavy Cockney accent.

Another girl appeared behind her and smiled at Buffy without saying anything. A third one stopped in front of Buffy and looked her up and down. "This is the Slayer?" she asked with a sigh before following her companions.

Wesley sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry to barge in," he said softly. "We have a slight problem."

*****

"I don't _care_ if they're potential Slayers or not!" Dawn said hotly. "We need to be out looking for Spike!" She was close to tears and tried to hide it, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Wesley.

"Dawn! We'll find him. I promise," Buffy said, putting her hand on his arm. "As soon as the others get here, Oz and Micah will go see if they can find a scent, okay?"

Dawn clearly didn't like the idea, but she nodded and stalked out of the living room. Buffy turned to Wesley. "Okay. What's the deal with the kids?"

"I'm not a kid!" the dark-skinned brunette burst out indignantly. Buffy just gave her a look.

"Hush, Kennedy," the Cockney admonished. "She's the Slayer. She's got a lot more experience than we do."

Kennedy folded her arms and sulked, glaring at Buffy resentfully.

"There was once more of them, hundreds in fact," Wesley Wyndham-Price replied. "But now there's only a handful, and they're all headed here. The others were murdered."

Buffy closed her eyes and sighed. "My dreams," she whispered. "It's those things with the crazy alphabet eyes. They're picking them off one by one."

"They're called Bringers," Wesley said heavily. "Followers of the First Evil."

Buffy's spine straightened and she shot a look at Angel, who looked troubled. "Okay," she said slowly. "Not good." She sighed. "What does the Council have to say about this?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Wesley said wearily. "They're gone. Obliterated. They were in session when the building exploded."

Giles swore violently, startling the others. Buffy's mind was in a whirl. _It happened already_, she thought, and shook her head. She didn't have time for this right now.

"The Council is gone?" Angel echoed in disbelief.

"Yes. All we managed to save… Annabelle, please." Wesley gestured and the second girl stepped forward and pulled a few books from her bag, followed by a stack of files. "The Watcher's mystics and everything we had on the First Evil."

"That's…not a lot," Caddie said hesitantly.

"It's all we have," Wesley said, giving Caddie a brief, curious glance. To anyone halfway observant, it was clear the young girl was a perfect reflection of the Slayer. But he said nothing, a stark contrast to the person he once had been. The room fell silent for a moment.

"This is big, isn't it?" Micah asked, looking around the room. "One of the apocalypses you always talk about?"

Buffy rubbed her eyes, feeling the onset of a headache. For a moment she felt as if she had a double set of memories: one that led up to the present and another that diverged to a horrific end.

"Yeah, honey," she said softly. "It really is."


	6. It Happened Before, But Not Yet

Angel studied his wife closely. She sat on the edge of their bed, staring into space. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"It happened already," she whispered. Angel said nothing. He had the feeling she needed time to sort her thoughts. "I knew it was going to happen because it already did." She took a deep breath. "I remember things. Things that happened. But not yet. Andrew, the Potentials; not them. But the Council blowing up. And…other things."

She closed her eyes and a tear slipped through her lashes. "It…ends. Badly. I remember now. It ended. And then I turned everything back. It was the wish."

Angel crouched in front of her and took her hands in his. "Beloved, you're not making any sense," he said gently.

Buffy opened her eyes, her hazel-green eyes sparkling with moisture. "This isn't the first time around, Angel," she said tremulously. "I changed things when I made the wish. I remember now."

"You changed the past?" Angel asked to be clear.

She nodded. "I had to. Everything…ended. The First—I couldn't leave it undefeated. I couldn't die knowing it was still out there." Her expression froze and she bit her lip, as if realizing what she had said.

"You…died?" Angel said, afraid to hear the answer.

Buffy sighed. "I died. Die. So do you. An-and Giles. And Spike's soul is taken. And Caddie is kidnapped." Buffy suddenly jumped to her feet. "We can't let that happen, Angel!" she said, her voice shaking. "Not again!"

Angel was still trying to get his head wrapped around what she was saying. "All of these things happened, and you made a wish to change it?"

She nodded, a wild look in her eyes. "I saw Xander. He said that the Powers That Be owed me a wish." She laughed erratically. "God, after what I—we went through…" she shuddered. "It was a nightmare. I wished—" She sobbed and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. Angel took her gently in his arms, resting his cheek against the top of her had.

"Shh, beloved. It's all right. That's not what's happening now."

Buffy leaned against his chest, gathering her composure. "I made the wish, and then I woke up. And everything was turned back. I couldn't remember everything at first. And then…"

They stood in silence for a long time. Angel pressed a kiss against her forehead. "What did you wish for?" he asked softly.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hid her face against his shoulder. "For the strength to defeat the First," she whispered.

Angel felt his soul grow still. His wife, his beloved, had chosen to save the world over saving her family. He approved. "And they gave you back me," he said softly.

"And Andrew and the Potentials." Buffy said. "They're somehow important."

"What about the seal? Did that happen before?" Angel asked, rubbing small circles into her lower back.

"No. I don't remember anything about it. Things have changed so much." She sighed when the door closed below them. "That should be the others. You need to take Oz and Micah out to look for Spike. We have to get him back. It's important." She suddenly felt panicked. "The First took his soul, Angel! We can't let it take his soul!"

Angel tilted her chin up so that their faces were inches from each other. "Buffy, listen to me. Whatever happened the first time, we won't let it happen again. I promise."

She stared at him for a long time, and then leaned forward until their lips met. "Okay," she whispered. Then she pulled away and opened the door. Time to get to work.

*****

Caddie watched her mother carefully. She had always been attuned to her mother's feelings, and now she sensed that Buffy was conflicted. The arrival of Wesley and the potential Slayers had shaken her somehow.

Giles and Wesley were going over the few documents the latter had managed to save. Buffy was pacing around the living room, ignoring the three newcomers, who all looked extremely awkward. Doyle and Cordelia were in the kitchen with Willow, cooking up some spell or other. Caddie wrung her hands together. Whatever had taken Spike could still be out there. She hoped Micah and Father were all right. And Oz, too.

"What are you thinking?"

Caddie startled a little and turned to look at Andrew. He was staring at her with wide, blue eyes as if she was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

"I'm worried about my sister," she said honestly.

"I'm sure she's fine," Andrew said, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "I mean, the Slayer wouldn't let her go with Angel and Oz if she couldn't handle herself, right?"

"Micah is a little too confident in her own ability to 'handle herself,'" Caddie replied dryly.

"What kind of name is 'Micah' for a girl, anyway?" Kennedy muttered.

"Kennedy!" the Cockney scolded. She turned apologetically to Caddie. "Don't mind her. She's just grouchy. I'm Molly."

"I'm Cadence," Caddie replied. "And Micah's not her real name. Mother couldn't pronounce her real name, so she used the closest thing she could come up with."

"Your mother?" Molly inquired.

Caddie nodded over to where Buffy was hovering over Giles' shoulder, trying to keep her mind off of her absent family.

"The Slayer is your mother?" Kennedy asked in disbelief. "What, are you adopted?"

"Micah is," Caddie replied, wondering why the Potential used the word "adopted" like it was a bad thing. "I was kidnapped when I was an infant and raised in the demon dimension Revona, where twelve years passed during two days here."

"That is so amazing," Andrew gushed, and then looked sheepish. "I mean, awful."

Caddie shrugged. It was what it was. As Doyle said, no use crying over spilt milk. She looked up sharply when her mother stalked into the living room and tossed Caddie her jacket.

"This is ridiculous," Buffy said. "Come on, Caddie. We're going to see what's taking them so long."

"Really?" Caddie asked, confused. Normally Mother made sure she stayed out of danger.

"You're the one who can find them the fastest," Buffy replied.

Caddie shrugged into the denim jacket and pulled her wavy, dark hair free. "What about Willow and Cordy?"

"They're casting a protection spell around the house to keep the Bringers from coming after the Potentials," Buffy replied. "Andrew, come on. You're coming too."

"I am?" He blinked a few times, and got to his feet. "Uh…okay."

The street was dark and quiet and Caddie picked up Micah's scent almost immediately. It was the one she was most familiar with, though Oz's musky werewolf scent was by far the strongest. And Father was there as well: the dry, electric scent of a coming storm.

"So you can smell things?" Andrew asked as they followed the trail. "Like a dog or something?"

"My olfactory sensitivity is far greater than a dog's," Caddie informed him proudly. "I can smell one part blood in a million." Then she added under her breath, "And then it makes me faint." She froze in mid-step and scented the air again. "Uh, Mother? There's a vampire nearby."

"Leave it," Buffy replied. "We've got more important things to worry about."

Caddie nodded and continued. After a few minutes she realized they were heading towards the new high school. She slowed to a halt when a snarl of odors assaulted her nose. She turned her head, sniffing loudly and trying to identify what she was learning.

"Caddie?" Buffy asked. "What is it?"

"There was a fight," Caddie replied distractedly. "I don't recognize the other scent but…" she trailed off and pointed. "Father was injured." A few drops of blood spattered the asphalt. "And I think I smell a vampire again."

"The same one?" Andrew asked, surprising Caddie with his observation.

"Yes, I think so. It's a really strong scent. Very fresh." Caddie frowned. "Actually, I think it might be—Mother!" Caddie screamed when a twisted, dark figure appeared beside Buffy and struck out at the Slayer, sending her flying across the street.

The creature stalked toward the two teenagers, moonlight glinting in its dead eyes. It was like no vampire Caddie had ever heard of before. She could feel its power, dark and primeval. She screamed again and latched onto Andrew's arm.


	7. Shedding a Little Light On the Situation

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Andrew moaned as he backed away from the vampire. Yet even as he panicked, he made sure to keep himself between the monster and Caddie, who was hyperventilating beside him. Buffy picked herself up stiffly, as if she had been hurt. She took one look at the beast menacing her daughter and lunged toward it again.

The vampire's disfigured face held no emotion as it easily fended off the Slayer's attacks and again sent her flying to the ground. It advanced toward Andrew and Caddie once more, baring its fangs in anticipation of the kill.

Andrew had never been more afraid in his life, not even when Warren tried to kill him. Warren was merely human. This creature was more powerful than his worst nightmares.

"I can do this," Caddie suddenly whispered. He turned his head to stare at her. The younger teenager looked serene, her brown eyes unfocused. "I can do this," she said louder, and stepped away from Andrew's side.

The vampire stopped, tilting its head as it considered the foolish young child that stood her ground against it. It didn't appear concerned in the slightest. After all, the Slayer couldn't lay a hand on it.

Caddie brought her cupped hands to her chest and lifted her chin, her eyes closed. Her lips moved as she continued to chant, "I can do this." Andrew was frozen to the spot—perhaps out of fear, or perhaps with the sense that something big was about to happen.

Caddie's eyes snapped open, and they glowed. The glow spread from the crown of her head to her toes until she was filled with light. Her hair blew back from her shoulders and she stretched her hands in front of her. A beam of light shot from her palms and struck the vampire square in the chest, sending it stumbling backwards with a shriek of pain. Smoke curled from where the light hit it, accompanied by a nauseating singed smell.

The vampire cringed away from the light and scrambled back into the shadows until the faint sound of its footsteps was gone. Caddie slowly faded until she was once again a normal-looking thirteen-year-old girl. Her face split into a wide grin.

"I did it!" she exclaimed. Then her expression changed. "Mother!" She hurried over to Buffy's side and helped the older woman to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"Just a little winded," Buffy panted. She put her arm around her daughter and hugged her. "Good job, sweetie." Caddie beamed again, even when Buffy continued, "And I'm never going to let you do anything like this ever again."

"You were awesome," Andrew told Caddie, his voice filled with awe. "That was like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Thanks," Caddie said, suddenly feeling light-headed. "Uh…I think we should go now."

"We have to find your Father, Micah, and Oz, first," Buffy said.

"Now we don't. They're right over there," Caddie pointed, and sure enough, running footsteps could be heard a few seconds later. Angel was the first to reach them.

"What happened?" he demanded. "What was that light? Why is Caddie out here?"

"Caddie was the light," Buffy replied. "Did you happen to meet up with a very scary, ugly vampire? And I mean more than usual?"

"Chased us out off school grounds before it disappeared," Oz replied. "I'm assuming it went after you?"

"Yeah, but Caddie went all glowy and shot light from her hands and then it went away," Andrew said all in a rush. Micah's eyebrows shot up and she shared a high five with her younger sister.

"Anything on Spike?" Buffy asked Angel. He shook his head.

"We tracked him to the school, but lost the scent. Then that…caveman vampire showed up and I wasn't willing to stick around and risk Micah," he replied.

"I can protect myself," the Fey child protested.

"It'll think twice about attacking us again," Buffy said. "Let's go back to where you lost his scent and try again."

*****

Caddie and Micah burst through the door first. "We found him!" Caddie yelled. Buffy and Angel followed, Spike's arms slung over their shoulders. Andrew and Oz brought up the rear, the latter closing the door behind them.

"Good lord!" Giles exclaimed at the sight of Spike's bare, mutilated chest.

"Um…Giles, why is there a vampire in the house?" Wesley asked uncomfortably.

"He's not a vampire, he's my boyfriend," Dawn said fiercely, ignoring the fact she wouldn't be sixteen for a few more months.

"Let's get him downstairs," Buffy said to Angel, who nodded. "Micah, you and Caddie get water and bandages. Dawn, he needs blood. You two, tell Giles and Wesley what we saw at the seal."

Spike's head lolled and he raised it with difficulty. "Did I miss something?" he mumbled. "I don't remember leaving. Oh. 'Lo, pet," he told Dawn, offering her a lopsided smile. "Ow."

"Try not to move, Spike," Angel instructed as he supported the vampire's lean frame. He maneuvered his grand-childe carefully down the basement stairs to Spike's cot in the corner. "Why are you always getting yourself beat up?" Angel muttered.

"Luck's a bitch," Spike replied.

Upstairs, Oz gave a concise description of the strange wheel they had seen at the seal, as well as the presence of Spike's blood and the strange vampire they had encountered. Andrew interrupted every other sentence to describe Caddie's illuminating defense.

Micah filled Cordelia, Doyle, and Willow in on what had happened as she and Caddie gathered bandages. The Potentials eavesdropped with varying reactions.

"All that trouble to save a vampire?" Kennedy said skeptically. "Why bother?"

"This particular vampire saved the whole damn universe from imploding," Doyle said sharply. "So there'll be none of that."

"You chased a vampire away?" Willow asked Caddie. "All by yourself?"

Caddie nodded proudly. "It's easier here. More sunlight, you know. Easier to gather it."

"Were you scared?" Molly asked. "I'd be scared. I've never seen a vampire before."

"Wait until Spike's feeling better," Micah replied. "Some of them can be quite charming."

"I'll take this stuff down," Cordelia volunteered, gathering up the first aid supplies. "Doyle, get the girls something to eat."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. He turned to include the Potentials in his invitation. "You ladies hungry?"

*****

Dawn held the straw so Spike could sip at the blood. Angel was finishing bandaging the runes cut into the vampire's chest after Buffy had copied them down for the Watchers to translate.

"What did they do to you?" Dawn asked tremulously. Spike smiled reassuringly.

"It's all right, pet. I'm feeling better already just seeing you."

"Answer the question, Spike," Angel said. "What did they use that wheel contraption for?"

Spike winced and sighed. "Need a bloody smoke," he muttered. Then he said louder, "They opened the seal. _It_ opened the seal."

"It who?" Angel pressed.

"It looked like the Slayer, but it wasn't her," Spike replied. "Had no smell. And a bunch of those eyeless goons what jumped us and took me. They cut me up so my blood would open the seal and release…well, I don't quite know what came out of that thing."

"Turok-han," Buffy said from the stairs. When the other three turned to stare at her, she nodded back over her shoulder. "Giles and Wesley just identified it. Supposedly it's some kind of uber-vamp."

"Heard of them," Spike said, trying to sound casual. "Nasty things, aren't they?"

"They're the nightmares vampires have," Angel said softly. "My God, we took our daughters out there with that thing."

"I'm still trying not to faint over that one," Buffy said, sitting down on the stairs. "Damn. Life just took a sharp left turn, didn't it?"


	8. Unearthed

"So this vampire lives in the Slayer's home?" Wesley asked Giles a little apprehensively.

"And he's going to start dating her younger sister on her sixteenth birthday," Giles replied distractedly. "Are you sure there's nothing more of the Gerhardt? This volume appears unfinished."

"It is," Wesley replied, shuffling some of the files. "He died before it could be completed. I do hope Buffy knows what she's doing."

"As much as any of us does." Giles blinked and looked up. "Oh. You mean about Spike?"

Wesley nodded and nodded toward the back porch, where the Potentials, Micah, and Caddie were eating breakfast. "Quite frankly, I'm apprehensive about having him in proximity to what could be our only hope."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Giles told him. "He's only as likely to harm them as you or I, but if Kennedy keeps it up, I think he just might make an exception for her." When Wesley failed to relax at Giles' attempt at humor, Giles sighed and removed his glasses. "Wesley, Spike is in possession of his soul. He doesn't feed on humans anymore." Giles frowned. "Well, except for that incident last summer with Ethan Rayne. And no one's blaming him for that."

He slipped his glasses back on. "We have absolutely nothing to fear from Spike. In fact, he just might prove to be a valuable ally."

Wesley rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose we'll see," he murmured.

*****

The Scooby Gang was holding a powwow in the basement to get away from the younger people and to accommodate Spike. Buffy leaned against one of the support beams and looked around the circle of faces. Oz and his wife, Willow, sat on the old, unfinished bench in the corner. Cordelia was curled in Spike's armchair and her boyfriend, Doyle, stood beside her. Dawn sat next to Spike on Spike's cot, and Angel lurked by the stairs.

"Everyone get the scoop on the Turok-han?" Buffy asked. After receiving affirmatives from everyone, she continued. "So what's our next move?"

"The First Evil raised it, so it's probably under its control," Willow offered. "If we knew what the First Evil was up to…" she trailed off with a suddenly depressed expression.

"I'm pretty sure we all know what the First Evil's long-term plans are," Angel said dryly. Doyle sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This was only his second apocalypse.

"Right now I think we need to focus on the small things," Buffy said. "Like how to take care of the uber-vamp."

"And the baby Slayers that are going to start showing up," Cordelia put in. "Wesley did say they were headed here."

"Different definitions of the word 'care,'" Oz put in. "Caddie was able to chase the Turok-han away with sunlight. Maybe if she tried again she'd be able to kill it."

"No!"

"Absolutely not."

Buffy and Angel calmed down from their exclamations and exchanged a look. "We're not willing to risk Caddie by putting her in a situation like that again," Angel said at length.

"We may not have a choice," Spike said. When both the Slayer and the former vampire glared at him, he held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just a guy with his ear to the ground, but even I can feel it. Something's coming. And it's gonna be big."

A grim silence fell over them, until Buffy shook herself free. "Small things," she said with a grimace. "Why am I getting the feeling the uber-vamp is going to come after us? And somehow I don't think that he's gonna need an invitation to get in here."

"We're maintaining the protection spell around the house," Willow said. "It should be enough to keep any nasties at bay."

"We can't afford to be passive in this," Buffy said, haunted by the memories from the "first" time around. "We can't sit back and let the fight come to us. We have choose our battles otherwise we're going to find ourselves at a disadvantage."

"We're always at a disadvantage, luv," Spike pointed out.

Buffy smiled tightly at him. "Yeah, that's 'cause we're the good guys. Tonight we're going vampire hunting, and I want Angel, Oz, Spike, and Willow with me. Doyle, you and Cordelia stay here with Wes and Giles and watch over the girls. The First may use the uber-vamp as a distraction. Micah and Dawn can help if needed."

She received nods all around, and one by one they filed out of the basement. Buffy turned to Spike. "Are you going to be up for it tonight?"

He nodded firmly. "I'm near about healed. A good day's sleep and I'll be right as rain."

"Are you hungry?" Dawn asked. "Do you want some blood? I can get you some?"

"I'm good, pet," Spike assured her with a quick smile. "You don't need to worry about me."

Buffy met Dawn's gaze and jerked her head toward the stairs. Dawn sighed and left her future boyfriend's side. Buffy was about to follow when she turned back and said in a low voice, "Spike, I'm glad you're here."

Spike smiled faintly. "Me, too."

*****

When the final bell rang, Angel felt as relieved as the students, but of course he didn't show it. "The essays on The Phantom of the Opera are due tomorrow!" he called over the sound of shuffling papers and closing books. "At least five pages a _logical_ explanation for Erik's actions towards Christine."

As the students filed out, Angel returned to his desk and lowered himself into the chair. He enjoyed exploring eighteenth and nineteenth century works, mostly for the reason that he was a contemporary of the creators. He wished the school offered an art history class, but he had had to world literature instead.

"Father?"

His head shot up and he saw Micah standing in the doorway, clutching her backpack in both hands. "Micah. Come in. What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it," she said, walking over to stand by his desk. "I feel a great pressure here," she place her hand over her heart. "As if I am afraid of something, but I don't know what." She blew a heavy sigh. "And the lacrosse team keeps trying to antagonize me into a fight."

"Are you?" Angel asked. When Micah sent him a confused look, he elaborated. "Afraid."

She shook her head, her short black hair glinting under the light. "I don't think so," she said. Then she tilted her head as if remembering something. "The feeling became worse when I went to Principle Wood's office to drop off a note for Mrs. MacAdams."

Angel's eyebrows rose. "You must be sensing the Hellmouth. Wood's office is directly over it." He put his chin on his fist. "Interesting. Have you been feeling this way ever since you started school, or just recently?"

Micah stopped to consider it. "Since the day after Andrew and the Potentials came, and the First brought the Turok-han out of the seal. That's when the feeling started." She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "It feels like something's going to happen, Father. Like something is hanging over our heads. And when it falls, it's going to be bloody. I can smell the fear and anger in the other students. I think they sense it, too."

Angel nodded and got to his feet. "Come on. We're going to check on the seal. See if anything's changed."

Micah stowed her bag behind Angel's desk and they headed for the basement. Angel navigated the catacombs easily by memory. Micah's head looked as if it was on a swivel, constantly turning this way and that, scenting and tasting the air at regular intervals.

"The feeling is worse," she said after a long silence. Angel turned to look at his daughter. She looked paler than usual, if that was at all possible. "Actually, I feel a little sick."

"Why don't you stay here?" Angel suggested. She shook her head.

"No, I'll keep going. I'll be fine."

Angel nodded and continued walking. Finally they turned the last corner and entered the room with the seal. Angel walked straight to the hole while Micah held back, her luminescent eyes darting around the shadows.

"I thought we covered this back up," Angel said, kicking at the loose soil.

"We did," Micah replied. "Look," She crouched next to a shovel lying on the dirt floor. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Human sweat. I can't identify the individual."

Angel joined her and picked up the shovel, lifting the handle to his nose. "You're right, and I can't either. But it's a little familiar." He got to his feet. "We should call Giles."

Micah stood and brushed the dirt from her pants. "Good idea. Besides, I have class in fifteen minutes."

Angel smiled lopsidedly and turned toward the door, just in time to see a metal pipe come out of nowhere and slam into his face.


	9. Keep Your Enemies Close

Micah threw herself to the side, the pipe barely missing her head. She rolled to her feet and whirled to face her attacker. It was a man, dark-haired and stocky, with a wild look about his eyes. Micah bared her fangs and screamed challengingly, hoping the assailant would back down when he saw she wasn't human.

He lunged toward her, bringing the pipe back got another swing. Micah arched her back to allow the pipe to pass inches over her face. She completed the back flip and launched herself forward. They tumbled over the floor and into the hole, landing hard on the seal, Micah on top.

She hissed at him, struggling not to lose her advantage, but he was bigger and heavier than her. So she did the first thing she thought of. Her head darted forward and buried her fangs in his throat.

His scream of pain nearly deafened her as the taste of blood exploded across her tongue and she gagged but didn't let go. He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her off him, tearing her fangs from his neck. Micah's back hit the side of the hole and she spat blood from her mouth.

"Micah! The seal!" She heard Father's shout from above and risked a glance downwards. The metal was glowing faintly around the edges of the inscriptions. "The blood!"

Blood poured from the ragged wound in the stranger's throat, soaking the front of his shirt and dripping onto the seal. Micah summoned her strength, seized hold of the stranger, and hurled him from the depression.

The seal began to open under Micah's feet, and she gathered herself to jump clear. Something clamped around her ankle at the last minute, pitching her headlong across the separating metal. She caught a glimpse of a twisted, horrible face between the pieces and screamed.

It was a high-pitched shriek of terror on the barest edge of human hearing. She had never made such a sound before, but then again, she had never been so scared. There was a replying screech from below her and the grip on her ankle was released. Micah scrabbled out of the hole and turned over, looking back into it. The seal slammed close again, the glow fading.

"What on earth?" Angel blinked at his daughter through the blood streaming from the gash across his forehead. "What was that?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered. "I think it was another Turok-han."

"What?" Angel stared at her blankly. "I was talking about that scream."

Micah gave him a quizzical look but was distracted by their attacker stirring sluggishly. She growled and grabbed him by the neck, putting pressure on the wound. "Who are you and why did you attack us?"

"I know him," Angel said, swiping blood out of his eyes. "That's Warren Mears."

*****

"What the hell _happened_ to you?" Buffy demanded when Micah and Angel walked through the front door, dragging Warren behind them. Andrew gave a high-pitched yelp and fled the living room.

Micah and Angel looked each other up and down. Angel's face was covered in blood, as was Micah's mouth and chin. Warren's neck had been imperfectly bandaged with part of Angel's over shirt.

"He happened," Angel replied, pushing Warren to the floor. "We went to check on the seal and he met us with a metal pipe."

"And his neck?" Giles asked apprehensively.

"I did that," Micah said.

Wesley regarded Micah with sudden alarm as he realized the blood on her face wasn't hers. "Oh, my," he muttered.

Buffy prodded the half-conscious young man with her toe. "What are we supposed to do with him?" she asked.

"Tie him up," Angel suggested. "I'm going to take a shower and take care of this." He pointed to the swollen gash across his forehead. "Micah, you'd better get cleaned up, too."

"Yes, sir," she said, heading for the stairs. Oz and Doyle had already taken custody of Warren while Caddie went to find Andrew. Buffy reached up to turn Angel's head so she could examine his wound. She nodded towards the kitchen and he followed her wordlessly.

As she dabbed a wet towel to his forehead, she asked quietly. "What happened?"

"It was Micah," he replied. "She was…like an animal. She bit him. On the neck. Then she tossed him around like a doll." He flinched when she pressed too hard. "Then she screamed. It felt like my head was going to explode. I mean, more than it was already."

"Because of the scream?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Yeah. I couldn't think or move or do anything. And it stopped the Turok-han from coming out of the seal. Warren had bled on it and it was opening. A Turok-han grabbed Micah's leg, but she screamed and it let go." Angel hissed in pain as Buffy finished washing the blood away. "I'm still not sure whether to be impressed or disturbed."

"Well, now we know that both our daughters have anti-vampire abilities," Buffy said dryly, putting the bloody towel in the sink. "What are we going to do with Warren?"

"Get some answers, hopefully," Angel said with a sigh, holding a clean towel to his forehead to stem the bleeding. "Andrew said Warren tried to open the seal, right?"

"Killed Jonathan trying," Buffy confirmed. "I am _so_ going to kick his ass."

"You have my complete blessing," Angel told her. He stole a quick kiss. "I'll be back in a minute.

*****

Doyle checked the knots on the ropes one more time as Dawn finished bandaging Warren's neck. "You've dealt with this young man before?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah," Dawn replied. "Built himself the perfect robot girlfriend and then broke up with her. April did some damage trying to get back to him year before last. Not fun."

"So he goes from mad scientist to psycho cult killer?" Kennedy asked. "How does that work?"

"Welcome to the Hellmouth, sweetheart," Dawn muttered dryly.

Warren stirred and opened his eyes blearily. "What the fuck?" he muttered. Dawn slapped him hard.

"Watch the language, buster," she said harshly. Oz lifted an eyebrow and said nothing. Dawn got to her feet. "I'll go tell Buffy he's awake."

Warren looked at the half-demon and werewolf standing on either side of him and the Potential standing a little ways off. "What? Where am I?"

"In deep trouble," Oz replied. "You hurt Buffy's family. She's going to kill you now."

Warren snarled uncaringly. "I've got power like none of you have ever imagined. The Slayer can't hurt me."

Buffy walked into the living room, her eyes as cold and hard as ice. "We'll see about that," she said harshly.

*****

Caddie found Andrew on the back porch, sitting with his head in his hands. "Andrew?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"No, not really," he replied, not looking at her. "He—he tried to kill me. And now he's here. In this house. And…I'm afraid of him."

"Micah hurt him pretty badly," Caddie told him. "I don't think he's in any shape to do anything evil."

"Yeah…" Andrew sighed and lifted his head. "Why doesn't that comfort me?"

Caddie scooted closer to Andrew and put her arm around his shoulders. "Listen, Andrew. Mother and Father aren't going to let Warren act up. They'll learn what he knows and then deal with him. Besides, you don't think he can stand against Cordy and Willow, do you? And we also have Doyle, Oz, and Spike, too. Trust me, this is the safest place for you."

He looked over at her, a faint, hopeful smile playing around his mouth. "You think so?" he asked.

She gave him a mock-indignant look. "Hey, who chased an uber-vamp away from you last night?" She poked his arm. "I know so. My family kicks ass."


	10. Inquisition

Sorry about the long wait and short chapter. I was in Florida for the past week visiting family and there was simply no time for an update.

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Spike and Buffy stood in front of the chair Warren was tied to in the basement. Wesley leaned against the wall in one corner and Kennedy peered through the railing from her perch on the stairs. Why she was there Buffy had no idea; but the Slayer was too distracted to order her to leave.

Warren sneered at them. "You're nothing compared to the power I serve," he said. "You won't break me."

Buffy tilted her head. "Actually, I'm more interested in hurting you." With that she hauled back and slammed her fist into Warren's jaw, knocking the chair backwards. Both Spike and Wesley adopted bored expressions. Buffy reached down and set the chair upright again. "You threatened my family," she said grimly. "People don't do that and live."

Warren spat blood from a split lip and scoffed. "You're just digging your own grave. I'm going to walk away from this and you'll wish you were all dead."

"Already am, mate," Spike said, lighting up a cigarette. He took a few puffs and handed it to Buffy. She took it carefully with two fingers and crushed the lit end against Warren's arm.

"The Seal of Danthazar," Buffy said. "What does the First want with it?"

Warren's lips drew baack from his teeth in a grimace of pain but he didn't loose his confidence. "I'll kill you myself," he hissed at Buffy. "You think you're strong, but you're just like the rest of them. Weak. Worthless." A flash of anger passed across Buffy's face before she mastered it. Warren must have noticed it because he smirked. "You think you're in control but you're just another tool. The First will hand you over and I'm going to kill you all. You, your little bitch girls, and your Key sister."

Spike's eyes blazed at the threat to Dawn. "Never going to happen," he snarled as his face morphed into his demonic visage. He lunged forward and buried his fangs into Warren's neck. The young man screamed in pain as more blood soaked into his already-stained shirt.

Wesley spat a curse and lurched away from the wall, only to be pushed back by Buffy. Kennedy gave a small scream of horror and recoiled, her eyes wide. "That's enough, Spike," Buffy said quietly. Spike instantly pulled away, blood dripping from his mouth. Only he and Buffy knew he had drunk none of Warren's blood.

"If you have nothing to say about the seal and the Turok-han," Buffy said over Warren's moans, "I have no qualms in letting Spike kill you."

Spike wiped his mouth, still in his game face. "Let me have him, Slayer," he said, his venom-yellow eyes never leaving the bite mark in Warren's neck. "No one will miss him."

"This has gone too far," Wesley protested. "You can't seriously consider letting this vampire feed on the boy."

"Not yet, anyway," Buffy said. "Wes, you keep an eye on him. I'm going to talk to Willow about a trusth spell. Spike?"

Spike followed the Slayer reluctantly, as if enticed by the smell of fresh human blood. In reality, the minute they reached the kitchen, he made a bee-line to the sink to rinse his mouth. Caddie handed the vampire first a towel, and then her glass of lemonade, which Spike took with a look of thanks.

"How—how is it going?" Andrew asked.

"Right now I'm just enjoying seeing him in pain," Buffy said darkly. Caddie looked askance at her mother but said nothing. Her father and sister had been threatened. That was an unforgivable crime.

"The Potentials are uneasy about you torturing Warren," Caddie told her mother. "They believe it's against the Slayer code of ethics."

Buffy snorted. "The Slayer code of ethics is a made-up fantasy," she said cynically. "Where's Willow? I want answers from Warren."

"Living room researching with Giles. Oz and Doyle went back to the school to check on the seal and Father and Cordelia are doing a sweep of the neighborhood. Just in case," Caddie reported.

"And Dawn?" Spike asked.

"Went for groceries," Andrew supplied.

Buffy nodded and started toward the living room. She was halfway across the dining room when there was a crash from the basement and Kennedy screamed. Buffy whirled around and darted back the way she had come.

Warren stood in the middle of the kitchen, one arm looped tightly around Caddie's neck. The girl's eyes were wide with shock but she was still and quiet. Spike stood in one corner, clearly agonized yet unable to do anything.

"Get back!" Warren yelled. "Get away from me or she dies!"

"Caddie, it's going to be okay," Buffy said soothingly. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not," she replied calmly.

"Shut up!" Warren screamed as he backed toward the door. Caddie suddenly slammed her foot down on his instep, causing him to grunt in pain. She drove her elbow into his stomach just below the ribs and slithered out of his grasp. Buffy darted forward, but Warren grabbed Caddie's long hair and yanked her back towards him.

Then Warren gasped suddenly, his eyes growing wide, and he released Caddie. Buffy grabbed her daughter and pulled her out of harm's way. Warren swayed slighlty and pitched forward.

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered, staring at the handle of the kitchen knife protruding from Warren's back. Andrew looked first at the blood covering his hand and then at the body at his feet.

"Stop trying to kill my friends," he said.

*****

Wesley insisted on digging the first grave himself. It was only proper. After all, it was his fault she was dead.

Warren lunged forward with a roar, breaking the chair as he ripped himself free. Wesley froze in surprise, taking a second too long to recover. Warren's fist connected with his kidney with crushing force, driving his breath out of his lungs in a wave of agony. Wesley fell to the ground, unable to do anything but watch as Warren raced up the stairs, catching Kennedy before she had the chance to run.

Kennedy wasn't a Slayer. She wasn't strong. She was just a normal girl with the chance at a destiny. A chance that was snuffed out in an instant as her neck snapped and she flopped lifelessly down the stairs.

The sun was setting as they turned the dirt back over the two graves. The Slayer exchanged a look with her husband. Tonight they would hunt the Turok-han. There was a subtle shifting in the group. Cordelia seemed to gather the non-combatants together: the Slayer's girls, Dawn, and the Potentials. The rest, the Warriors, assembled around Buffy, waiting for their orders.

It suddenly occurred to Wesley that the Slayer was no longer "she alone." She had a family, an army of sorts, who surrounded her. This was the reason that she had survived so long; the explanation why she had thrived in the deadly environment. Wesley took a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe, they might survive the coming war.


	11. Jinxed

It was impressive how many weapons the Slayer had tucked around the house. Spike and Angel both held broadswords while Buffy slung a battleaxe over one shoulder. The two humans were also equipped with holy water and wooden stakes, not to mention crosses. As she tucked her items away, Buffy continued to instruct the ones remaining behind.

"Watch the bay window in the living room. Bad guys like to come in through there. The back door is going to be another weak point so make sure it's guarded. Micah, remember that you are only to engage if absolutely necessary. Let Willow, Oz, and Cordelia take care of the rest. Doyle, not to disparage your abilities as a fighter or anything…"

Doyle waved a hand. "No offense taken. Andrew and I will keep the girls in the basement."

"Wesley, what's your pleasure?" Buffy asked, turning to the Watcher.

"Crossbow," he answered promptly, and Dawn shoved one into his hands. Giles had retrieved his favorite sword from his apartment. Andrew, the Potentials, and Caddie were all given shock sticks, but they were only to be used as a last-ditch defense.

"Now, there's always the possibility that the First won't attack the house," Angel said, only to be interrupted by Spike's derisive snort.

"Not bloody likely," the vampire said. "If it thinks it can weaken us by splitting us up, it'll take the chance. I would."

Caddie gave her parents each a quick hug before retreating down the stairs to the basement, followed by Molly and Annabelle. Dawn and Spike exchanged a look that Buffy easily interpreted as "Be safe," "Do my best."

Then she, Angel, Spike, and Giles left the house and headed up Revello Drive toward the school. They made it halfway before the Turok-han attacked. Spike shouted the warning, seconds before he was tossed down the street. Buffy whirled her axe in her hands, praying it would be enough as Giles and Angel flanked her. The uber-vamp stared at them with flat, dead eyes and hissed before lunging toward them.

It took all of Buffy's Slayer-enhanced speed to keep up with the ancient vampire. Even angel, aided by the demon within, began to flag after the first few seconds. Giles never stood a chance. The uber-vamp batted the Watcher aside as if he were a mild distraction not worth any real attention.

Spike made his re-appearance and jumped on the Turok-han's back, throwing it just enough off-balance that it missed its swipe at Buffy. She swung her axe with all her strength, bringing it down on the creature's arm with shattering force. The limb crumbled to dust as soon as it hit the ground

With a scream, the Turok-han shook Spike off and charged at Buffy. She hefted her axe but at the last minute it ducked aside, scoring her arm and chest with its long claws. The wounds burned painfully but weren't serious.

Angel took three running steps toward the Turok-han and it crouched to meet him. Instead of engaging the uber-vamp, Angel launched himself in the air, flipping right over the Turok-han's head. His sword flashed out even before his feet touched the ground again.

For the first time, and expression crossed the uber-vamp's face: surprise. Then its head toppled from its shoulders and the whole creature disintegrated. Giles picked himself dazedly off the ground.

"Well, that wasn't too difficult," he said.

Buffy stared past her Watcher, tightening her grip on the axe handle. "You just had to say it, didn't you?" she asked wearily. Giles turned slowly around and his shoulders slumped.

Three more Turok-han advanced down the darkened street.

"Oh, as usual, dear."

*****

Caddie paced across the concrete floor, twisting her hands together until the knuckles showed bone-white. Molly and Annabelle sat on Spike's cot, whispering together with wide, frightened eyes.

"Do you think the Bringers will come?" Molly asked timidly.

"Spike seems to think so," Dawn replied. "He's usually right about those things."

Micah sat at the top of the stairs. She peered down through the railing and offered the Potentials a sharp-toothed smile. "I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to a good fight."

"You won't be fighting unless something's gone wrong, Mic," Caddie retorted, her voice sharper than she intended. Doyle frowned at the girl.

"Um, Caddie, darlin'. You're—uh—you're glowing."

Caddie blinked at him. "I am?" She looked down at her hands, which were, indeed, glowing with a faint but steady light. "Oh. That's interesting."

"I think it's awesome," Andrew told her. "You're like a nightlight. You know, when you're afraid of the dark and you want the nightlight on because it keeps the monsters away."

"Except for the fact that monsters are very real and I don't inspire much fear in them at all," Caddie said, biting her lower lip.

"You did just fine against the uber-vamp, remember?" Andrew pointed out. Caddie shrugged a little plaintively. "Hey," Andrew continued, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure your parents are fine. I mean, your mom is the Slayer. Like you told me, she kicks ass."

Caddie smiled involuntarily and shot Andrew a grateful look. The door to the basement opened abruptly and Cordelia appeared at the top of the stairs. "Everyone all right?" she called.

"We're fine," Doyle called back. "Any word yet?"

"All quiet up here," the witch replied with an impatient sigh. I wish whatever is going to happen would hurry up and happen. Willow's been on pins and needles since Buffy decided to leave her and Oz here and you would not believe how many words that woman can pack into a single sentence."

"The protective shield. Is it still holding?" Micah asked, getting to her feet.

"So far. Of course, no one's tried to bring it down so far and Willow and I have never attempted to protect anything as big as a house before." Cordelia was about to say something else and blinked instead. "Caddie…you're glowing."

"I noticed," the girl replied dryly. "I can't seem to turn it off."

"Well, try," Cordelia ordered. "Or else you'll use all the sunlight you've stored up."

Caddie gave Cordelia a sour look and then closed her eyes in concentration. After a few seconds, the glow permeating her skin faded. Then came the sound of breaking glass and Willow's scream.


	12. The First Battle

Micah needed only a split second to decide to ignore her mother's order. So instead of remaining in the basement, she lunged up the stairs right behind Cordelia and emerged into a battle zone.

Willow stood by the back door, her hands glowing with mystical energy as she held it closed against the attackers. Micah saw Cordelia add her power to Willow's as the Fey child darted through the kitchen towards the living room, snatching a dagger as long as her forearm from the table as she went.

Wesley and Oz struggled in the cramped living room against robed figures that had obviously come in through the bay window, just as Buffy had warned. The front door shook under repeated blows and splintered just as Micah reached it. The girl ducked under the first Bringer's swing and plunged her dagger in his stomach, yanking it out with a spray of blood.

She lashed out, driving the next Bringer backwards so that she stood in the doorway, blocking their path into the house. The next few moments were a blur of brown robes and crimson blood, heat-images pulsing against the back of Micah's eyeballs.

A particularly insistent Bringer forced Micah several steps backwards, allowing three of them into the house. Micah glanced aside at Wesley and Oz and saw that they, too, were flagging.

"Cover your ears!" she yelled at them. Wesley sent her a confused look but Oz immediately obeyed. Micah took a deep breath and screamed.

She had no idea if what had affected her father and knocked Warren unconscious would work on the Bringers, but it was the only thing she could think of. Immediately everyone around her flinched, Even Oz, who had his hands clapped securely over his ears.

The Bringers nearest her fell to the ground, writhing in silent pain. Micah's breath ran out and she drew another to scream again. After the second scream, her throat was raw and sore. The Bringers at her feet lay still, blood running from their ears and noses. Micah, the only one unaffected, took the opportunity to launch a new attack on the Bringers.

*****

It would have been a beautiful thing, had anyone been there to see it. Buffy, Angel, Spike, and Giles moved in an uncanny unison, accustomed to each other's rhythm after years of fighting together. The Turok-han had no such unity. Their only focus were the quartet fighting them; they had no interest in working together.

The Slayer and her companions fought in a group, facing outwards. For every blow they landed, they received one in turn, and all of them were bleeding from numerous wounds.

"We have to find better ground!" Giles panted. "We're too exposed here."

"Get ready to make a run for it!" Buffy yelled, and hefted her battleaxe. She swung at the Turok-han in front of her with all her strength, nearly cleaving the beast in half. It fell, shrieking in fury, but didn't die. However, it gave the four the break they needed and they sprinted away, heading toward the high school.

Angel had learned to control Angelus, but the demon had never left him. He lurked in the darkest recesses of Angel's soul, always seeking for a way to break free. But there were ways for Angelus to benefit his host, among them being increased strength. So Angel left Angelus closer to the surface to give his burning muscles the extra power they needed to stay ahead of the Turok-han.

Unfortunately, Giles had no such help, and began to drag behind. Spike grabbed the Watcher's arm and hauled him along behind him, determined that no one would be left behind.

They reached the school grounds and plunged onwards towards the construction in the back. The scaffolding would give them cover and higher ground, not to mention the random holes lined with rebar.

They stood in a line, all except Spike gasping for breath. "It can't be too hard," the vampire said, his voice as cocky as ever. "After all, we did bring down a hell-god, remember?"

"Yeah, except we don't have a handy obliteration spell this time," Buffy pointed out.

Angel lifted his broadsword, which seemed heavier now than ever. "Here they come," he warned, catching the scent of rot and age over the copper smell of fresh blood. Two of the uber-vamps, the third probably too injured to walk, emerged onto the construction area.

"Everyone ready?" Buffy asked.

Weary arms hefted heavy weapons, but their expressions were as determined as ever. "Ready," Spike replied. "Let's do this." With a roar, he charged at the Turok-han, the others on his heels. The two sides clashed in a flurry of blows, but the adrenaline-charged energy soon wore off. Giles went skidding over the dirt, losing hold of his sword and tumbling into one of the pits.

"Giles!" Buffy yelled, breaking away and leaving Spike and Angel to hold the uber-vamps off. She dropped to her knees beside the hole. "Giles!"

"I'm all right," he gasped breathlessly, moving feebly at the bottom. "Just go and kill the bloody things."

Buffy whirled to her feet, clutching her axe, and turned back to the fight. Angel and Spike were holding their ground, but weren't gaining any, either. She took two steps towards them before the axe dropped from her nerveless fingers. Her numbed brain barely acknowledged the high, thin wail as the source of the paralysis.

Angel and Spike both reeled back, weapons clattering to the ground as they clutched their heads in pain. The Turok-han shrieked, writhing and barely staying on their feet. That's when Buffy noticed the group of vague shapes on the edge of the construction area.

The scream finally ended, and Buffy's mind snapped back to clarity. She scooped her axe back up and lunged toward the Turok-han, who were taking longer to recover. A beam of sunlight struck the two ancient vampires, causing them to stumble aside. Buffy swung the axe as hard as she could, and the first Turok-han crumbled to dust.

The second one screeched when the sunlight again struck it and it began to smoke and burn. Angel dove for his sword and launched himself to his feet, putting the demon out of its misery.

Spike lifted his head weakly from the ground. He was bleeding from nose and ears. "Is it over?" he asked. "Did we win?"

"Yeah, I think we did," Angel replied.

At that moment, two girl-shaped cannonballs shot toward the group, impacting Angel and Buffy with enough force to knock them both off-balance. Buffy dropped her axe and wrapped both arms around Caddie.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded even as she hugged the girl tight against her. "I thought I told you to stay in the basement, away from the fighting."

"It was Micah's idea," Caddie muttered.

"It was not!" Micah protested indignantly, peering out from around Angel's arm. Dawn fell to her knees beside Spike, wiping the blood away from his face.

"Are you okay?" she demanded. "You weren't too close to Micah?"

Wesley ran up to Buffy. "Where's Giles?" he asked. Buffy pointed, and the Watcher took off, Doyle and Oz close behind. Buffy noted with interest that Doyle held a coil of rope over one shoulder.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, looking around at everyone.

"The house was attacked by Bringers," Dawn replied matter-of-factly. "But Micah's scream and Cordy's _offendo per incendia_ spell drove them off. Then Doyle had a vision you were having trouble so we high-tailed it over here as fast as we could."

"That was Micah's scream?" Buffy asked in disbelief. Micah nodded, a smug expression on her face.

"I helped, too!" Caddie exclaimed, feeling left out. Buffy kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Yes, you did. You probably saved our lives. And you're grounded for the rest of your life."

Caddie just smirked. "Let's see how long _that_ lasts," she said dryly.


	13. Sweet Sixteen

Angel had, over the course of the last few months, considered quitting his job several times. Two things kept him from doing so. The first was that someone needed to keep an eye on the Hellmouth. The second was the ever-growing number of potential Slayers in need of feeding. So it was with a sigh of resignation that he locked up his desk and prepared to leave the now-empty classroom, only to find that the doorway was occupied.

"Robin," Angel greeted the principle. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you perhaps knew anything on the whereabouts of Amanda Miller," Robin said. "She's in your second period class."

Angel knew exactly where Amanda Miller was at the moment: in the back yard of his house, learning combat forms under Wesley and Giles' tutorship. "I'm afraid I don't know," Angel lied. "Is something wrong? Is she in trouble?"

"She hasn't been in school for the past several days," Robin replied. "I tried contacting her parents, but apparently they don't know where she is, either."

Amanda had called her parents shortly after moving into the Summers' home, telling them she was okay and wouldn't be going back for a while. "Have you tried calling the police?" Angel suggested.

"The police department is a little overwhelmed at the moment," Robin said, leaning against the doorjamb. "Petty crime is off the charts and the force is stretched too thin to look for one missing teenager. Besides, it isn't as if she's the first kid to go missing here in Sunnydale."

Angel sent Robin a sharp look. That comment hit too close to the truth for comfort. Was the principle hinting at something, or was it just a lucky guess?

"There's an impromptu staff meeting tonight to address the issue of the increased misbehavior in the school," Robin told him. "I'd appreciate it if you showed up."

"Sorry, I can't," Angel said, not at all apologetic. "Tonight is Dawn's sixteenth birthday party." He shrugged into his jacket and grabbed his bag. "There's no way on earth I'd miss that."

*****

Even if the cake hadn't given it away, it was very obvious there was a birthday party going on in the Bronze. The group had come in together, a few adults and a whole bunch of teenaged girls. They had quickly run up a large tab of drinks, but the bartender wasn't complaining. The tips were good.

Dawn couldn't stop grinning and Spike hadn't left her side since she got back from school. They had been waiting for this day for months. The Potentials, excited about having some hard-earned downtime, were rather boisterous, but hadn't gotten into any trouble yet.

Micah was fascinated by everything going on around her. This was her and Caddie's first time in the club, and the Fey was clearly enjoying the atmosphere. Caddie sat in a corner with Cordelia and Doyle, preferring to stay out of the way.

Dawn suddenly jumped up from her chair and grabbed Spike's arm. "Dance with me?" she begged. He hesitated and tried to protest that he wasn't much of a dancer, but Dawn dragged him onto the dance floor anyway.

Buffy almost choked on her beer at the sight of her little sister dancing with the vampire. She elbowed her husband and nodded toward the pair. Angel gazed at them morosely and shook his head.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," he muttered. "Did I approve this? Because I don't recall."

"I think it's sweet," Buffy said. "Kinda reminds me of us." She frowned. "Except without the whole scary lose your soul thing."

Angel was about to reply when he stiffened. "Oh, my God, is that Micah?" he demanded, pointing. Buffy twisted around to follow his gaze and sure enough, there was Micah, learning how to dance and catching on very quickly. Angel made as if to get up, but Buffy placed a hand on his arm.

"Let her have fun," she said softly. "You know they aren't going to get many more opportunities." Angel subsided reluctantly, muttering under his breath about what he'd do if any boys got too close.

Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw Andrew approach Caddie. He asked her something in a low voice and Caddie shook her head, her eyes wide. Andrew seemed to reassure her and held out his hand. Caddie hesitated a moment, and then took it, letting him lead her onto the dance floor. Buffy frowned. Looks like she was going to have a chat with Andrew sometime in the near future. Caddie was simply way too young for him.

On the other hand, her husband was over two hundred years older than her. Buffy sighed and took a drink of her beer. Life was so complicated sometimes.

Spike finally began to relax after the second song. He leaned down and whispered in Dawn's ear, "Are you having fun, bit?"

"Loads," she replied. "It's perfect."

"And you haven't even gotten to your presents," Spike teased. Dawn cocked an eyebrow.

"What did you get me?" she asked.

He smirked back. "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

Wesley and Giles sat at an out-of-the-way table, the former feeling horribly out of place. "Is this still a pick-up point for vampires?" Wesley asked, sipping at his tea.

Giles lifted his eyebrows mildly. "On the occasion. We've managed to keep it relatively clean over the past few years. Still, it is the perfect breeding ground for vampire attacks, as I've said in the past."

"Lovely," Wesley muttered. "Because this is precisely my idea of an enjoyable evening."

"Oh, do lighten up, Wesley," Giles admonished. "It's Dawn's birthday. A girl only turns sixteen once."

"I just don't think it's a good idea to risk the Potentials this way," Wesley insisted.

"Well, think of it this way," Giles said with a smirk. "If a vampire does show up, it'll give the girls some practice."

Wesley made a face at his fellow Watcher and returned his attention to the Potentials. His attention wandered to the rest of the Slayer's comrades, picking out first her daughters, then Dawn and Spike, and finally ending with Cordelia and Doyle, who was resting his head in his girlfriend's lap. For a second Wesley wondered if the half-demon had had too much to drink, but then he stiffened.

"Er, Giles, I do believe we're about to have a situation," Wesley said quietly, indicating Doyle's condition.

"Oh, bloody hell," Giles muttered, setting his tea aside. "Let's go see what it is." They made their way through the crowd and reached the couple just as Doyle was getting his breath back. "What is it?" Giles asked.

"Vampire gang heading into town," Doyle replied. He sighed and said reluctantly, "Guess we'll have to end the party."

"No, I don't think we do," Wesley said, startling Giles. "Let the children have their fun. Surely the four of us can take care of a few normal vampires."

"As opposed to uber-vamps?" Cordelia observed dryly. She shrugged. "I'm up for it."

"I'll come, too," Micah said from behind Giles, making the Watcher jump. She looked around at the adults with her luminescent eyes. "I can help."

Giles considered at first refusing her offer, but then he took a moment to reconsider. Micah was fifteen, the same age Buffy had been when she had been called. Micah, though, had the advantage of being trained to kill from a very young age, and also had abilities humans didn't possess, among them her scream, which had already proved especially detrimental to vampires.

"Very well," he agreed at length. "Let's try to slip out quietly."


	14. Two Conversations and a Road Trip

"And Giles actually let you go with them?" Caddie asked, her dark eyes wide with astonishment. Micah nodded, unable to keep the smug grin off her face. The sisters were crammed into the top bunk, a blanket pulled over their heads so they could whisper together without being overheard by the four Potentials sharing their room. "I didn't even see you leave."

"Well, you _were_ slightly occupied at the moment," Micah said dryly. Her ability to sense thermal energy told her that Caddie was blushing.

"Andrew was teaching me to dance," Caddie mumbled. "What was it like? The slaying?"

"I think I prefer sober vampires over drunk ones," Micah said. "Even if drunk ones are easier to kill. These ones seemed as intent on making lewd comments about Cordelia and I as killing us."

"I still can't believe you actually killed a vampire," Caddie said, her voice halfway between awe and disapproval. Micah shrugged. She had made her first kill at the tender age of fourteen during an attempt to kidnap her and Caddie. Her second kill had been her adoptive grandfather, who had orchestrated the attempt.

"They're harder to kill than I thought they would be," Micah admitted. "But easier than attacking a Turok-han."

"Mother is going to be furious when she finds out," Caddie warned.

"She isn't going to," Micah replied. "Giles said she didn't need to know. He said she has enough to worry about." There was a slight edge to her voice, and she shot her younger sister a hard look.

"I won't tell," Caddie promised immediately. She chewed on her lower lip, and then leaned over to whisper, "Next time, do you think I could come, too?"

Micah smiled. "I don't see why not," she said.

*****

Buffy sat up with a stifled gasp, confused momentarily by the darkness. Then she remembered it was night, and she had been asleep. Dreaming.

"Buffy?" She twisted to see Angel blinking sleepily up at her. "Is something wrong?"

"I-I don't know," she whispered. "I had a dream."

Angel lifted himself onto his elbow, looking suddenly more awake. "A Slayer dream?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Maybe. I think so. It was about Faith."

"Faith?" Angel looked startled. Buffy's sister Slayer had been serving her sentence in prison for the last two years. Buffy went to LA to visit occasionally, but in the last several months, she hadn't been able to make it. "What about Faith?"

"The Bringers, Angel. They've been going after the Potentials. Why wouldn't they go after Faith, too?" Buffy said. "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. We have to warn Faith." Buffy threw back the covers and started to climb out of bed, but Angel grabbed her arm.

"You can't do anything about it until morning," he told her. "Then you can take one of the Scoobies to LA. In the meantime, you should try to go back to sleep. You haven't been getting much rest lately."

"There's been too damn much to do," Buffy muttered, reluctantly lying back down. Angel wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"You have a lot of people to help you, beloved," he told her. "Especially Giles and Wesley. You don't have to do all the work."

She sighed. "It's just…I've seen how this could end, and sometimes I feel as if I'm the only person who knows just how badly everything can go."

"You aren't the only one," Angel told her softly. "Believe me, I do know."

*****

Breakfast was a chaotic affair as the twenty-plus inhabitants of the Summers' house all attempted to claim the rapidly dwindling contents of the breakfast buffet. Micah got the last slices of bacon by growling at Andrew, who instantly backed off.

Buffy surveyed the dishes piled in the sink with weary alarm, but Vi corralled Amanda, Rona, and Chloe to help her clean up. Angel pulled Buffy aside before he, Dawn, and Micah left for the school.

"Are you still going to LA?" he asked.

She nodded. "I owe it to Faith to warn her," she insisted.

"I agree. But I want you to take Doyle, okay?"

"Doyle?" Buffy repeated. Though the half-demon had been getting better, he wasn't Buffy's first choice if it came to an ally in a fight. "Why?"

"He knows Los Angeles better than you'd think. He'll know how to get in and out unnoticed."

"Okay," Buffy said, leaning forward to kiss him quickly. "Have a good day, you know, on the mouth of hell."

He smiled tightly. "I'll try. Good luck."

Buffy waited with mounting impatience for the others to arrive despite the fact it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. She told the Potentials to start warming up on the back lawn; they'd run through drills before lunch. She remembered what Angel had said the night before and she truly _was_ grateful she had two Watchers with her.

Wesley, who was staying with Giles, came through the front door burdened with a large stack of books. Buffy quickly went to help him with it. "Where's Giles?" she asked as they set them down on the dining room table.

"He was still pursuing a line of research when I left him," Wesley said. "Apparently he thinks his home is more suitable for reading than yours, though I can't imagine why." Wesley cocked and eyebrow and surveyed the mess that was the Summers' residence. Buffy laughed ruefully.

"I banished the lot outside. They're doing warm-ups but you can start drilling any time."

"You won't be joining us?"

"I'm going to visit Faith," Buffy told him. He nodded and headed for the back door. Cordelia and Doyle chose that moment to arrive, much to Buffy's relief.

A car trip with Doyle was hardly unpleasant, as the man could charm a smile out of a gargoyle. Caddie accompanied them at Cordelia's suggestion. "She needs to get out of the house," the witch had told Buffy. "She needs to spend some time with her mother." It was unusual for Cordy to be so perceptive, so Buffy took her advice to heart. During the drive to Los Angeles, Doyle made it his mission to keep the girl in stitches with his jokes and stories, a few of which Buffy wasn't entirely certain she wanted her daughter to hear.

"Hi, I'm here to see Faith Lehane," Buffy told the receptionist/guard at the prison. The uniformed man checked something on his computer.

"You're right on time," he said off-handedly. "She'll be out any minute."

"Out?" Buffy repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Yo, B. Didn't think you'd show for my release," said a very familiar voice behind Buffy. She whirled around and came face to face with her sister Slayer. Faith wore a white tank top under a black leather jacket and a pair of low-slung jeans, a far cry from the orange jumpsuit the inmates wore.

"Release?" Buffy squeaked, caught completely unaware.

Faith nodded and grinned, spreading her arms a little. "Out on account of my good behavior. I've got a parole officer waiting in Sunnydale and everything." Her smile slipped a little. "Wow. You could look a little more thrilled, B."

"S-sorry," Buffy stammered. "It's just that—" She cut off, realizing she had just gained another ally in fighting the First. She bounded forward and startled Faith by wrapping her in a tight hug. "Trust me, I'm thrilled."

*****

"So what you're saying is, this First Evil deal is gonna send the whole world to hell and we're all that stands in its way?" Faith asked as they crossed the parking lot.

Buffy nodded. "Yup, pretty much."

Faith grinned, her brown eyes sparkling in anticipation. "Bring it on, sister. I'm so ready for a fight. You would not believe how boring the slam can be."

Buffy returned Faith's smile. During Buffy's periodic visits, she had watched Faith's attitude change from desperate and sullen to truly repentant for her actions. As they approached the car where Doyle and Caddie were waiting, Doyle looked up and frowned at the sight of Faith.

"Um…" Doyle shifted ever so slightly so that he was between Faith and Caddie. "Is she supposed to be out here?"

"She's been released on parole," Buffy told him. "Erm, you two haven't officially met, have you? Doyle, Faith. Faith, Doyle."

"Pleasure," Faith said, sticking out her hand. Doyle hesitated for only a second before shaking it. Faith turned her attention to Caddie. "Who's the kid? Damn, she looks like you, B."

"She should," Buffy said with a dry smile. "She's my daughter."

Faith's eyebrows skyrocketed and she stared at Buffy, her mouth falling slightly open. "No shit?" she said after a minute.

Buffy winced. "Watch the language around the girls, please, Faith. And yes, I'm serious. It's a long story."

"Yeah? Well, you can tell me over burgers," Faith said, climbing into the car. "I'm starving."


	15. Los Angeles Nightlife

"So, what's the scoop on the kid?" Faith asked when she had finished her over-sized burger and started on her fries. "I may not have stuck around school, but I know enough math to know the ages ain't adding up."

"Caddie was kidnapped by Wolfram & Hart last year," Buffy replied. Caddie was mostly ignoring the conversation, totally absorbed by her food. For someone as tiny and petite as Caddie, she sure did eat a lot. "She was eight months old."

Faith frowned. "Still having problems with the math, B."

"She was taken to a demon dimension called Revona where twelve years passed in the course of about forty hours here," Buffy explained. "That was how long it took for Angel and the others to figure out where she was taken and how to get there."

"You're still with Angel?" Faith asked around a mouthful of French fries. "But I thought vampires, you know, shot blanks."

Buffy winced at the crude imagery. "Angel's human. He's been human for almost three years."

The other Slayer froze, her dark eyes wide and disbelieving. "You're fucking with me," she said after a long silence. Buffy winced again.

"Seriously, Faith. Language not of the good for young ears."

Caddie rolled her eyes. "Mother, it's not like I haven't heard it before."

Buffy's brows drew together. "Where?"

The girl snorted. "Do you really think the Potentials are that well-behaved when you're not around?"

"Well, _that_ will have to be addressed when we get back," Buffy said darkly. She turned to see Faith still staring at her. "What?"

"Angel's _human_?" Faith repeated. "How the fuck did that happen?"

Buffy reached over and smacked Faith. "What did I just say about the cursing?" she demanded in exasperation. "Does no one around here listen to anything I say?"

"I'm listening," Doyle said mildly, looking up from where he had been mournfully stirring his Coke. Since he was driving back to Sunnydale, he wasn't able to get anything stronger. Buffy shot him a wry look.

"Thanks so much, Doyle," she told him. Turning back to Faith, she asked, "Ever heard of a Mohra demon?"

"No."

"Yeah, neither did I until one crashed through the window of Angel's office while I was visiting."

"Angel has an office?" Faith asked in confusion. During Buffy's visits, they hadn't talked much about the happenings in Sunnydale, so Faith was seriously behind in the news.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Buffy mumbled. "Okay. Let's start at the beginning. Right after we blew up the school to defeat the Mayor Angel left Sunnydale. And it was partially your fault, too," Buffy said with a mild glare at her sister Slayer. "If you hadn't poisoned him he never would have had to feed from me and—"

"And there's a lot of water under that bridge, B," Faith said uncomfortably. "Just go on with the story."

"Well, with the help of Doyle and Cordelia—you remember Cordy, right?—Angel set up a private investigation firm here in LA…" The story was long but Doyle chimed in at regular intervals as they recounted the events that lead up to Angel's return to mortality. But it was the last bit of news that made Faith choke on her soda.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're _married_?" Faith coughed and grabbed a napkin to wipe up the sticky liquid she had sputtered over the table. "You? The Slayer? Married?"

Buffy frowned. "Why is that everyone's reaction?" she asked plaintively.

"I knew you were the steady type, but I never thought you'd actually settle down," Faith said. "Whatever happened to live fast, die young?" Buffy's mouth twisted wryly and she pointed at Caddie.

Faith snorted and shook her head. "Damn. That's…well, I never would've guessed."

Doyle checked his watch. "Well, if we're going to get back to Sunnydale in time for patrol training tonight, we'd better hit the road," he said.

"Yeah, about these Potentials," Faith said as they left the restaurant. "They're like us? Before we were called?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy replied with a nod. "Any one of them could become the next Slayer if anything happened to you."

"And you're training them to be Slayers?"

"They don't have anywhere else to go with the Council gone, and they're the only army we've got against the First," Buffy told her.

"Damn," Faith said again. Caddie, who had been walking ahead of them with Doyle, stopped dead in her tracks, brown eyes wide in shock.

"Mother!" she screamed as she burst into blinding light. "Them!"

Buffy was already swinging around, dropping into a defensive crouch as the first Bringer lunged out of the shadows. She heard Faith swearing as another Bringer attacked from the opposite side.

Buffy dodged the knife and grabbed the Bringer's wrist, pivoting on one foot to smash the other into the side of the Bringer's head. Without letting go of the creature, she flipped it over onto its back and forced it to plunge its own knife into its chest. "You're gonna need more than the two of you to take us down," she said, getting back to her feet.

Faith had just as easily dispatched her opponent; the corpse lay with its limbs at awkward angles. The Slayers exchanged a look and Faith grinned. "Guess they arrived too late to do me in, huh?"

"Buffy!"

Her head snapped around and she saw Doyle standing a little further down the street. He was almost quivering in his rage, but at first Buffy couldn't see what he was staring at.

Buffy made a strangled, inhuman noise of pain and stumbled forward, her breath coming in pants. A man in dark clothing was holding her daughter against his chest, a knife pressed against the girl's vulnerable throat. Caddie was so frightened she looked like she was going to faint, her glow barely noticeable.

For a second Buffy was back in the wine cellar, Angel lying dead on the floor as blood seeped through Buffy's fingers. She had failed…

"Well, now that I've got your attention," Caleb drawled, his mouth twisted into a dark smirk. "You must be the Slayers. Been wanting to meet you both for a long time now."

"Let her go," Buffy whispered, her voice flat and dead.

"Let's just call her insurance," Caleb replied, stroking Caddie's long, dark hair. "I've got a message for you, Slayer. You, the accept no substitutes, genuine, first and oldest Slayer. Because you," here he glanced dismissively at Faith. "You're just redundant."

"I'll show you redundant," Faith snarled, taking a step forward. Caleb pressed the knife closer to Caddie's throat and Buffy grabbed Faith's arm.

"That's better," Caleb said, still smirking. "Now, I have something of yours, Slayer, and I do mean something other than this remarkably lovely little girl here. So if you want it, you'll have to come find me."

Buffy made another strangled sound. "I got the message. Now let her go."

"As you wish," Caleb released Caddie, who stood swaying for a moment, unable to move. Buffy breathed in, poised on the edge of a wave of relief, when Caleb's knife flashed down and plunged into Caddie's stomach.

"_NO!_" Buffy screamed, lunging forward. She caught Caddie just as the girl began to fall, collapsing to the ground with her daughter's blood soaking into her shirt. "No, no, no, no! Caddie? _Caddie_!"

Caddie's eyes flickered and she stared up at her mother in confusion. "Mother?" she whispered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "I'm so cold…" her voice trailed off as her eyelids drooped and her glow fading to nothingness.


	16. The Waiting Room

Buffy stared at the device in her hand and wondered briefly if she had the courage to tell Angel. To tell him Caddie was… No, her mind shunted away from the thought, unable to process it without a complete shutdown.

"Do you want me to tell him?" Doyle asked quietly.

She shook her head dully, aware that it was her duty to tell him so he could start making arrangements. Doyle moved closer to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders and holding her tight. They were the only ones in the waiting room, but Buffy still wouldn't let herself cry. Not yet. Not until…

Faith burst through the door, her expression instantly telling Buffy that Caleb had gotten away. "Fucking bastard gave me the slip," she growled, throwing herself into the chair opposite Buffy. "Tore the place apart but I couldn't catch him. I'm sorry, B."

"We'll find him," Buffy replied hollowly. A spark of anger ignited in her eyes. "I'm going to rip him apart with my bare hands."

Faith nodded, accepting Buffy's promise. "Any word?" she asked, looking as if she was afraid of the answer.

"Not yet," Doyle told her. "She's been in surgery for three hours."

"Damn," Faith said wearily. "That knife must have really fucked up her insides."

Buffy didn't bother reproving Faith for her language. After all, Caddie wasn't around to hear it. "She lost a lot of blood," she whispered, the memory still fresh before her eyes. Somewhere deep in the bowels of the hospital, her baby girl was fighting for her life. Why wasn't she with her?

The door opened again and this time a tall, broad-shouldered man pushed through. He was wearing a white suit with a hot pink shirt, large sunglasses, and a hat pulled low over his face.

"Doyle!" he exclaimed at the sight of them. "I came as soon as I heard! Is she okay? Who did this to her?"

"We're not sure yet," Doyle said, getting up to shake the man's hand—which, Buffy noticed, was a lurid shade of green. "To both questions, actually."

"I know exactly who did this to Caddie," Buffy said harshly, also getting to her feet. Anger was good. It gave her strength when she would rather curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out. "His name is Caleb. He's an agent of the First, and if you're who I think you are," she said to the man with green skin, "Then I want you to do whatever it is you do to get information in this city and find him so I can disembowel him."

"Whoa, whoa, put on the brakes, miss," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm very sorry about what happened to…Oh, lordy. Oh my brilliant, twinkling stars, you're Buffy." The man whipped off his glasses, revealing blood-red eyes. "Wow. This is a pleasure." The smile creeping across his face abruptly vanished. "Or it would be if it were under any other circumstances. You have my sincere condolences, Mrs. Summers."

Doyle intercepted before Buffy could say anything else. "Lorne, what we need right now is a healer. It's vital. Nothing can happen to Caddie. She's been prophesized."

Lorne's eyebrows shot up. "A prophecy child? Why didn't you say so? Well, I should have known that. Why else would anyone want to get their hands on her? A healer. Right. I can do that. Let me make a few phone calls." With that, the demon slapped his sunglasses back on and headed for the door again, a cell phone already attached to his ear.

"Who the hell was that?" Faith asked jerking her thumb in the direction Lorne had gone.

"His name is Lorne, and he's an old friend of mine," Doyle replied. "He's the one who helped us find out where Caddie had been taken."

Buffy crossed her arms. "Can he find out where Caleb's gone?" she asked pointedly.

"How do you know who that mofo was?" Faith demanded, drilling Buffy with a hard stare.

"That—that doesn't matter," Buffy said, caught off-guard. "I—uh—I've been expecting him to show up at some point. I just…" She rubbed her face and realized she was still clutching her cell phone. "I need to call Angel," she whispered, and turned away from her companions.

"Hello?"

"Angel, it's me."

"Buffy, what's wrong? Why aren't you home yet?" Angel sounded annoyed and she winced. She should have called him sooner.

"We got attacked," she said thickly. She swallowed with difficulty and realized there was no way she was going to get through this without crying.

"By what? Bringers?" Angel asked in concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but…there was…an accident." Buffy squeezed her eyes shut but a tear leaked through her lashes. "Caddie," she whispered.

"Oh, God. Buffy, tell me she's alive!" Angel said frantically

"She's alive," Buffy forced out, the tears coming faster. "She's in surgery but there hasn't been word for hours and—Angel it was _him_! An-and I couldn't do anything except watch and he put a knife in her stomach and oh God…" Her knees gave out and she slid down the wall to the ground, her body shaking with sobs.

Buffy kept the phone pressed to her ear and she could hear Angel's breath coming in uneven pants. "I'm coming to you," he said abruptly. "I'll be there in a few hours. Just…Is anything being done in the meantime?"

"Doyle asked Lorne to find a healer," she replied, trying to stem the flow of tears. She wiped the moisture away with the back of her hand. "Angel…hurry."

"I will."

The phone slipped out of her fingers and clattered to the floor. Buffy didn't look up as Doyle crouched beside her, pulling her into a tight hug. Faith sent them an awkward glance. She felt truly sorry for Buffy that Caddie was hurt, but she wasn't good with the comforting thing. She would much rather be out killing something, but she had failed…again. Her first big chance to prove she was on the side of good, and she blew it. She slouched in her chair, feeling unwanted and unnecessary.

Faith was the first to notice the doctor heading their way. She got to her feet and called softly, "Hey, B." Buffy lifted her head as if it were a great weight and her eyes locked onto the woman approaching them.

"I'm Dr. Little," the woman introduced herself. "Which one of you is Mrs. Summers?"

"I am," Buffy replied. "How is Caddie?"

"She made it through surgery," Dr. Little began, and Buffy slumped against Doyle in relief. "However," the doctor continued, "Caddie lost a great deal of blood. The knife also damaged her liver and kidney."

"What are you saying?" Buffy whispered, the panic returning.

"Caddie has about a fifty percent chance of recovery," Dr. Little said gently. "If she were older, perhaps… I'm sorry, but we've done all we can."

Buffy nodded numbly. "Can—can I see her?"

"She's sleeping for the moment, but yes, go ahead. She is in room 219."

"Thank you." Buffy looked at Doyle. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course." Doyle half-turned to look at Faith. "Will you keep an eye out for Lorne and point him in the right direction when he gets back?"

"Sure," Faith said with a nod, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

Buffy stepped into the hospital room, almost afraid of what she would see. With a low cry, she rushed to the bedside. Caddie lay perfectly still, hooked up to more machines than Buffy cared to count. Her daughter's skin was so pale she resembled a vampire, a thought at which Buffy shuddered.

"Caddie? Honey, I'm so sorry," Buffy whispered, taking the girl's tiny, cold hand in both of hers. "You never should have been there."

"Don't start that," Doyle said rather sharply. "It wasn't your fault that the Bringers attacked us or that lunatic hurt her. "Trust me, no one blames you."

Buffy reached up to brush Caddie's dark hair from her face. "No, it isn't my fault," she acknowledged. "But I swear to you, Caleb is going to pay."


	17. A Song to Make a Demon Cry

Faith could almost see the path she had worn into the linoleum floor from her pacing. It had been over an hour since the green-skinned demon, Lorne, had left, and she had been waiting on her own ever since. Thankfully, the adrenaline rush from the fight was long gone, and it was just her normal impatience that kept her on her feet.

She swung around as the door opened and heaved a sigh of relief when Lorne walked in. He was followed closely by a woman who could, at first glance, pass for human. But a Slayer's attention to detail picked out the topaz-colored eyes, the small, sharp teeth, and the orange tint to the skin.

The woman's eyes fastened on Faith almost immediately, shining with a feverish intensity. "Now there's an aura in need of healing," she said, making Faith feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"Not her, Delilah," Lorne said, taking the female demon's elbow. "There's someone who needs your help a little more." He looked over at Faith. "What room are they in, baby doll?"

"219," she replied with a jerk of her head. "This way." She led them down the hall, stealing glances at the pair of demons out of the corner of her eye. "So you're a healer, huh?"

"Healing is an ability innate in female Jher," Delilah replied, looking around at Faith. Her eyes were still glassy and overly bright.

"You can help Caddie?" Faith persisted.

"I can try," Delilah said.

Faith wondered how Buffy would take that and indicated the door with a tilt of her head. "This is it." Delilah nodded and brushed past Faith. The female demon stopped as if hitting a brick wall and gasped.

"Oh…my," the Jher said weakly. "Pain… Oh, dear."

Buffy glared at the intrusion. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Delilah seemed to ignore the Slayer and walked toward the bed as if drawn by a magnet. Faith edged into the room and stood against the wall. Lorne took up a spot next to Doyle. "Her name's Delilah, and she's one of the best healers in Los Angeles," the green demon explained.

Buffy subsided a little at this. Her eyes were red and swollen, and there were betraying tracks of moisture on her cheeks. Faith felt something in her chest twist and realized with surprise that it was sympathy.

Delilah drifted closer to Caddie, her yellow eyes wide and unseeing. She passed a delicate, long-fingered hand over the girl's face as the other hovered over her stomach. "This…will be difficult," she said. "The pain is very deep."

"Please," Buffy said quietly. "She's my daughter."

The Jher tilted her head to one side and closed her eyes. After a moment she began to sing, a single, pure note of such clarity that Lorne began to cry.

"Oh, bother," he muttered, fishing for a handkerchief. "It always gets me when she does this."

The other three stared, entranced, as the demon worked. She swayed faintly and then began to tremble. She shuddered, opened her eyes, and slumped forward, catching herself on the railing of the bed.

Doyle sprang to his feet to support her. "Is that it?" he asked with a frown.

"No, no, I am far from finished," Delilah replied, sounding weary. "The damage is great. I must rest for a while." Doyle helped Delilah sit in his chair.

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

"Water would be appreciated," she replied distractedly. Doyle went in search of a drink machine while Buffy searched Caddie's face for any sign of improvement.

"How much longer will it take?" Faith asked bluntly. Delilah shook her head, her glossy brown hair drifting around her face.

"I do not know. It has been a long time since I've attempted to heal a wound this severe. Especially in a child." Delilah fixed her eyes on Caddie's still face. "She has a powerful aura, even now. She has a strong destiny, this one."

Doyle returned and gave the Jher a bottle of water. After a few sips, she got back to her feet. "I need to touch her skin, now. It will be much more delicate work."

*****

Faith had left to go on a patrol, unable to stand being cooped up in the hospital anymore. Lorne had gone to get something for them to eat, especially Delilah, whose breaks between healing sessions were getting longer. Doyle stayed in the room with the Jher demon in case a nurse walked in. Buffy had been banished to the waiting room because her "cloud to despair" was interfering with Delilah's abilities.

Buffy ran the memories over and over through her mind, re-living the moment when Caleb stabbed her daughter. Her hands clenched until her nails bit into her palms. Whatever it was that Caleb had of hers, she was going to get it back the instant she returned to Sunnydale.

"Mother!"

She had time to get to her feet before Micah nearly bowled her over. Buffy returned her oldest daughter's fierce hug, pressing her cheek against Micah's thick, black hair. An instant later, Angel enveloped both women in his arms and they simply held each other for a long moment.

"How is she? What happened?" Micah demanded, pulling away to search her mother's face with her eerie, luminescent eyes.

"Delilah—the healer Lorne brought—says she's improving, but she hasn't woken up yet," Buffy replied, avoiding Micah's second question.

"Can we see her?" Angel asked quietly. Buffy nodded and, taking both of them by the hand, led them to room 219.

Delilah was just finishing another session, and the orange tint to her skin was now more pronounced then ever. She turned to look at the newcomers, her topaz eyes weary. But when she glanced at Micah, her expression cleared. "You…you are strong, young one. Complete. What a gift it is to be so at peace with oneself."

Micah sent Buffy a confused look, but the Slayer only shrugged. Angel nodded at Doyle as he squeezed around Delilah to get to the bed. He stood looking down at Caddie for a long, silent moment before gently touching her forehead. Then he stooped and kissed her lightly on the cheek, avoiding the oxygen line in her nostrils. He straightened and fixed Delilah with a dark stare.

"Whatever it takes to save her," he said flatly. "You do it."

"I know of the prophecy," Delilah said quietly. "Born of the Chosen One, the one that stands alone. Child of the dark one pure of heart, rewarded for his service. The Slayer and he-who-was-once-a-vampire." She reached over and touched Caddie's hair. "She will save the world one day, this one."

"What prophecy?" Micah whispered to Doyle. "What is she talking about?" Doyle shook his head at her, motioning her to be quiet.

"I don't care about the damn prophecies!" Buffy burst out. "I just don't want my daughter to die."

"M-mother?"

All eyes instantly fastened on the girl lying on the hospital bed, who was now blinking against the light, her brown eyes trying to focus on the faces surrounding her.


	18. Graveyard Shift

Caddie poked her head into the kitchen warily, looking around for any signs of her parents. Since her return to Sunnydale three days prior, they had refused to let her do anything strenuous. Which was ridiculous considering she only had minor soreness and a really cool scar as reminders of Caleb's knife.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she hurried across the kitchen and out the back door. They now had over twenty Potentials staying at the Slayer's house, and bedding was starting to become an issue. Caddie slipped unnoticed around to the back of the group, taking a place next to Amanda Miller. The taller brunette looked down at Caddie.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Amanda whispered.

Caddie nodded, her expression determined. "No one is ever going to hurt me again," she said firmly.

"Okay," Amanda said with a faint smile. The group, plus Caddie, began their morning calisthenics, lead by Vi, a perky, outgoing redhead who seemed to have assumed the leadership role for the Potentials. Caddie grimaced slightly when a stretch pulled the still-tender muscles of her stomach, but she gritted her teeth and worked through the pain. Like she told Amanda, she was finished being vulnerable.

*****

"This…Caleb person claims to have something of yours," Giles said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead with the back of his wrist. "And you have no idea what it is."

"No, but I owe Caleb pain for what he did to my baby," Buffy said, her voice hard. "Whatever it is he has, I'm going to find it."

"I'm with you all the way, B," Faith chimed in instantly. The others had taken her return rather warily. Willow didn't trust the other Slayer at all and Wesley didn't seem to be comfortable in the same room. Surprisingly enough, it was Angel who took her parole with the best reaction.

He had offered Faith a smile, shook her hand, and welcomed her to the team. In return, Faith and looked Angel up and down and commented to Buffy, "Gotta admit, B. He's definitely a hottie. Literally, now, huh?"

Dawn and Spike sat on the opposite side of the room, the former shooting dark looks at Faith when she thought no one was looking. Spike, however, had listened intently to what Buffy had told them about Caleb.

"If Caleb is an agent of the First, then we can bet whatever it is he has, the First won't want you getting your hands on," Spike said, his expression uncharacteristically thoughtful. "And if you _did_ manage to get it, then it would throw a monkey wrench into the First's plan." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I'm in. When do we leave?"

"We don't even know where this object is being kept," Wesley protested, but Buffy cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"There's a wine cellar on the other side of town. It's been closed for a while, but my bet is it isn't abandoned anymore. That's where Caleb will be camping out."

Giles blinked at his Slayer. "How could you possibly know that?" he demanded.

"I had a dream," Buffy lied. The others didn't need to know about what had happened the first time. "A Slayer dream. That's where he'll be."

"Well, that's settled," Oz said. "Now the question is, who goes?"

Buffy fell silent for a moment, remembering what had happened before the wish. What did she have now that could prevent those events from recurring? "Spike, Giles, and Wesley," she murmured to herself. They hadn't been there before. Or Faith. Or the Potentials.

"Spike, Angel, and myself will lead the team, of course," Buffy said. "Faith, Oz, and Giles will come too." She considered for a long time, and then asked Wesley, "How many of the Potentials do you think will be up for this?"

"Vi, Rona, Molly, and Amanda for sure," he replied. "Annabelle, Chao-Ahn, and Becca aren't completely helpless, either."

"Good. We'll take them, too," Buffy said with a nod.

"What about Willow and me?" Cordelia asked, her arms crossed.

"We can't take everyone. If this goes pear-shaped, then someone has to survive to keep training the Potentials," Buffy replied.

Willow went a little pale at that. "D-do you really think—I mean, will it really go that bad?"

Buffy looked at her best friend for a long moment. "I'm not taking any chances," she said grimly. She switched her gaze to her husband. "Angel and I will go do some recon tonight. Try to get a lay of the land."

Angel nodded confirmation and Buffy continued, "When we make our move, Caleb won't know what hit him."

*****

Buffy and Angel stood shoulder to shoulder, staring through the darkness at the wine cellar. From the outside it appeared quiet, but light shone from the few uncovered windows, heralding activity inside.

"Looks like someone is home, after all," Buffy said dryly.

"Did something happen here, before?" Angel asked quietly. "Is that how you knew he would be here?"

Buffy hesitated for a long moment, but then said, "It ended here. He kidnapped Caddie and… We died." Her expression hardened. "It won't happen again."

"No," Angel agreed. "No, it won't."

They slipped closer to the lonely building, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Buffy sidled up to one of the windows and peeked in. It was filled with Bringers. They milled around, carrying tools and loads of dirt and rock. She saw two emerge from a stairway while several more disappeared down it.

"They're digging," Angel said softly, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"Either they're expanding or they're looking for something," Buffy replied, moving away from the window. She wanted to see if there were any other entrances to the place. "They don't have much of a guard," he observed.

"They probably didn't think you'd know where they were," Angel told her. She shrugged and finished her circuit around the building. There was only the one entrance.

"I wish there was a way for us to get inside," she murmured. Angel suddenly grabbed her and yanked her into the shadows. She didn't have time to demand an explanation when the door opened and a line of Bringers filed out, pushing wheelbarrows filled with rubble.

Buffy and Angel waited for a tense moment, watching the Bringers lumber away. Once they were out of sight, Buffy relaxed slightly and finally realized that she was pressed tightly against her husband, his body heat soaking through her clothes. She blushed and tried to slip out from under him, but he held her in place without looking at her, sniffing the air.

"Um…Angel?" she whispered. "What is it?"

"They're coming back," he replied. Sure enough, the Bringers returned in a few moments. Only after they had entered the building and shut the door did Angel release Buffy and they slipped away into the darkness.

As they walked back to the house, they decided to take a shortcut through one of the graveyards. Buffy sighed and looked around at all the headstones, most of which she was familiar with.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "It's just…this kinda reminds me of when we were dating. You know, how we'd go out to 'patrol?'"

Angel chuckled quietly. "We never did get much slaying in, did we?"

"No, not really," Buffy said wistfully. She gave a startled squeak when Angel grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest. He covered her mouth with his own in a sweet, lingering kiss. Buffy reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"We don't get much alone time anymore," he murmured regretfully.

"Shut up and kiss me again," she replied.


	19. The Beginning

The wine cellar was full of barrels and struggling bodies. Buffy whirled her battle-axe and lunged toward the next Bringer. As she brought the axe down with all her might, she braced herself for the impact of metal against flesh and bone. Blood sprayed through the air, and she turned her face away.

"Well, now. Isn't this a fancy party?"

Buffy turned to see Caleb standing against the wall, accompanied by the creature that wore Buffy's face. The not-Buffy crossed her arms. "Whatever, Caleb. Just make this quick," she instructed.

"You never let me have any fun," Caleb complained. His hand shot out and he grabbed Annabelle by the hair and dragged her towards him.

"No!" Buffy yelled. Spike, seeing the Potential's distress, abandoned his fight and launched himself into an impressive leap. He tackled the preacher, sending them both tumbling to the ground, leaving Annabelle free to scramble to her feet and get the hell away.

Caleb grunted in annoyance and grabbed Spike by the throat. The vampire kicked out, his steel-toed boot smashing into Caleb's knee. "Now see, you're just too much trouble," Caleb observed. "You really ought to be put down."

Buffy hadn't stood idly by. "You'll have to deal with me, first," she said from behind Caleb, and swung the axe. He caught the handle and tossed Spike aside, sending the vampire flying across the cellar to crash onto a barrel.

"You just don't give up, do you, girl?" Caleb asked with a smirk. "You put out the right bait, and all sorts of vermin just come crawling. Do you really think this bitty axe is going to stop me?"

Buffy let go of the axe and punched him in the face, knocking him back several steps. She suddenly had a clear path to the stairs. "Angel!" she yelled over the noise.

"Go!" he called back, using his broadsword to clear his way towards them. "I'll hold him off."

"Come back here, whore!" Caleb yelled as Buffy ran towards the lower level. The sounds of struggle faded slightly as she hurried down the rough-hewn steps. She looked around at the small chamber and saw the altar of sorts against the far wall.

It was beautiful.

More specifically, the thing embedded in the altar was beautiful. It was the most perfect weapon she had ever seen even though she had never seen anything like it before. She could practically hear it calling to her. She took a step towards it and heard a commotion at the top of the stairs. She whirled around in time to see Angel tumble head-over heels down the stairs and land in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

Buffy moved forward with a cry, but the pull towards the weapon stopped her. Then Caleb clattered down the stairs and stepped over Angel's unmoving body. "So…you found it," he said. "Not impressed. 'Cause the question now, girly girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there—"

Buffy cut him off by reaching over and yanking the weapon's blade from altar. She almost gasped at the feeling of power that tingled through her blood. She curled her hands tightly around it and squared off with Caleb.

"Hmm," he said, blinking in surprise. "Darn." He held up one hand and backed a few steps away. "Now, before you go hurting yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?"

Buffy smiled slightly and tilted her head. "Yeah? You want it?"

"You don't even know what you got there."

"I know you're backing away," she taunted.

"You think wielding some two-sided doodad is going to make a difference?" he said. "I'm only backing up to do this." With the speed of a coiled snake, he darted backwards and snatched up Angel's discarded blade and held the tip at the unconscious man's throat. He sneered. "Your move now, Slayer."

Buffy looked from the weapon in her hand to Caleb and back. "That is the second time you've threatened my family," she said calmly. "People just don't do that and live."

"That so?" Caleb mocked. "Then come and stop me." He lifted the sword for the killing blow.

Buffy moved.

Never in her life had she moved so quickly. She jumped into the air onto the altar and launched herself forward, sailing effortlessly across the small chamber. She watched as Caleb's expression changed from smug to terrified, and then she brought the blade down with all her strength.

It cut through him like water, cleaving him from skull to groin and clanging into the stone floor with a shower of sparks. Angel's sword dropped from Caleb's hand with a clatter. Buffy stepped to the side to avoid the corpse as it followed shortly after. She didn't spare it another glance and knelt beside Angel.

"Honey?" she called softly. "Can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes to slits, reaching up to probe the jagged gash over one eye. "Hey, Buffy," he muttered. "Sorry to just drop in. Ugh… Where's Caleb?"

"He—uh—had to split," Buffy said with a straight face. "Good news. I got what we came here for." She stood and offered a hand to help him up. Angel accepted and leaned heavily on her shoulder. He finally caught sight of Caleb.

"Whoa. Guess you weren't kidding."

"No, not really," Buffy said dryly.

"You little bitch." Buffy turned around to see her doppelganger standing in front of the altar, her arms crossed over her chest. "Do you really think a bit of metal and wood is going to stop me? You may have killed Caleb, but I still have armies just waiting for me to give the word. You haven't won, yet."

"Neither have you," Buffy said. "Come on, Angel, let's get the gang home."

*****

"And that's everything this…guardian said?" Giles asked.

Buffy nodded, not taking her eyes off the Scythe lying on the coffee table. "Every word."

"So…" Faith looked around at the solemn faces filling the living room. "We gonna do this, or what?"

Buffy tore her gaze from the Scythe and looked at Willow. "Are you ready?" she asked quietly.

"Ready as in absolutely certain I can do it and not, I don't know, spontaneously combust?" the witch squeaked. "Not a chance." Oz wrapped his arm comfortingly around his wife. "Am I ready to try?" Willow continued, and took a deep breath. "Yes. I am."

"Right." Buffy combed her fingers through her long hair. "Okay. We're really going to do this. "We'll take a few days to prepare, and then… Well, we'll see where it takes us. In the meantime, everyone should probably get some rest."


	20. Time To Be Strong

The eastern horizon was starting to glow when Spike opened the back door and slipped into the kitchen. He shrugged out of his leather duster and tossed it across the island before opening the fridge.

"You're kinda cutting it close, don't ya think?"

He whirled around and saw Dawn standing in the doorway, barefoot and clad in her pajamas.

"You're up a bit early. Something wrong?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Might have something to do with the fact we're marching off to war tomorrow."

Spike fished a bag of blood from the fridge and grabbed a mug. "We're already at war, love. This is just the final battle. Win or lose, it'll be the moment of truth."

"You're not exactly being very encouraging," Dawn said sourly, wrapping her arms around herself. Spike sighed.

"What do you want me to say, bit? That we'll win? That no one will die? Because I don't know those things."

Dawn suddenly pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and tear-filled.

"Oh, bloody hell," Spike muttered. He held out his arms. "C'mere, pet." She hurried forward and buried her face in his chest and he held her gently, stroking her hair soothingly. "I'm sorry, Dawn. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "It's just…I'm so scared. I've never been this scared before."

He rested his cheek against the top of her head and sighed. "This is big, Dawn. The biggest thing we've ever faced before. All those others, they were just practice. This is the real thing. But we can't let our fear get in the way of fighting. I can't promise we'll make it through. I can't even promise we'll win. But we have to do our best anyway."

She didn't reply for a long time, but then Spike felt her heave a great sigh. "How come you always know exactly what to say?" she asked. Spike smiled faintly.

"Just one of the many things that makes me perfect," he replied, placing a light kiss against her hair. "Sun's nearly up. Better go rouse the baby Slayers so they can start practicing."

She stepped away from him and nodded. "How was your patrol?" she asked as she backed toward the door. "Anything exciting happen?"

Spike took a drink of his blood. "Not a thing. Sunnydale's a ghost town."

*****

"No."

Buffy blinked and stared at Micah, still unsure of what her daughter had just said. "What?"

"I'm not leaving," Micah said, her arms crossed over her chest. "Neither is Caddie. We're staying to fight."

"Absolutely not," Buffy said flatly. "You're both too young."

"I don't think you have the luxury to decide that anymore, Mother," Micah said, her tone equally implacable. "You need us. You need everyone you can get."

"I'm not discussing this with you. You're going to stay with Lorne and that's final."

"As petty as it sounds, you can't make me." Micah stared down her flabbergasted parent and plunged on. "All my life I have been trained to fight and kill. Caddie, too. She is more of a warrior than you know. Everyone we love, everything in this world that we have, is going to be fighting. That makes it our fight, too. We're not leaving."

Buffy forced her mouth to close and glared at the Fey child. Micah refused to back down and Buffy eventually caved. "You really aren't going to leave?" she asked almost plaintively. Micah nodded firmly.

"Fine," Buffy said. "But if you die, you're grounded for a year."

Micah broke into a huge grin. "I can live with that."

*****

They were stationed furthest away from the Hellmouth, the very last line of defense. Micah considered being annoyed with Mother, but decided it wasn't a worthwhile emotion. Caddie stood with her eyes closed and her short sword clutched in both hands. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth.

"It's going to be okay, Caddie," Micah said softly. Caddie opened her eyes and looked at her sister.

"I'm not frightened," she said. "I'm just making sure I remember what clean air smells like so I won't throw up when the fighting starts."

"Did you remember to bring ear plugs?" Caddie nodded in reply to Micah's question. "Well, you'd better put them in now," Micah said. Caddie obediently dug the foam pellets out of a pocket and inserted them into her ears.

A tremor, felt more in their minds than in their feet, rippled through the school and the girls exchanged a look. The Hellmouth had been opened. Their parents, Spike, and the Potentials would be venturing under the seal. Caddie quickly made the gesture she had sometimes seen Doyle use, touching first her forehead, then her chest and each shoulder. Doyle had said it invoked a blessing. They needed all the blessings they could get.

"Willow will be starting the spell soon," Micah said, raising her voice so Caddie could hear through the earplugs. The younger girl nodded in reply and bounced a couple of times on her toes, tossing her thick hair over her shoulder.

*****

Willow kept her eyes fixed on Cordy's, who sat opposite her in the principle's office, just in case something went wrong. The redhead continued chanting, barely pausing for a break, her hands on the Scythe.

She had never attempted anything this big before, but somehow she knew, deep down, she had the strength to accomplish it. Suddenly, a great light enveloped her, filling her to very brim with power like she had never felt before. Her eyes clouded black and her hair blew back from her shoulders, pure white. She panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh…my…Goddess," she gasped, and the power rushed out from her, spreading out in all directions, seeking those with the Potential to be more. The light faded and Willow's eyes returned to their natural green, though her hair did not. She lifted the Scythe in a shaky hand and gave it to Cordy.

"Get this to Buffy," she instructed. Cordy nodded and ran from the room. Willow, still euphoric from the spell, gently tilted over to lie on her side. "Huh. Nifty."

*****

Micah didn't notice when Caddie gasped faintly and slumped against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut against a sudden rush of dizziness. A moment later, and it had passed. Caddie straightened, her eyes wide and unfocused. Her weapon dropped to the ground with a clang.

"I have to go…" she muttered, staring straight in front of her. "I have to…" She began walking deeper into the school.

"Caddie!" Micah called. "What are you doing?"

The younger girl didn't reply, and Micah ran after her. She grabbed Caddie's arm and tried to pull her to a halt, but Caddie shook Micah off and kept walking. Micah frowned and fell into step with Caddie, wondering what was going on.

Caddie didn't stop or hesitate when they caught sight of the first Turok-han. She merely continued walking, her expression unchanged. Micah growled deep in her throat and hurried in front of her sister, lifting her own sword and opening her mouth wide.

The shriek caught the Turok-han off-guard, causing it to flinch away from the Fey child. Micah used the momentary distraction to swing her blade with all her strength, burying it deeply into the creature's neck.

By this time, Caddie had slipped past them and was walking swiftly down the hall. Micah yanked her blade free and swung again, this time cleaving the vampire's head from its shoulders. She ran to catch up with her sister.

Micah followed, occasionally dispatching a vampire or a Bringer to protect Caddie as the younger girl marched through the school, down into the basement, and straight to the Seal of Danthazar. She stopped at the edge of the open hole and looked up at Micah, her eyes focusing for the first time.

"I can do this," she said softly, and jumped in.


	21. Where Darkness Meets the Light

At first no one noticed Caddie standing at the bottom of the rough-hewn stairs, staring with large eyes at the newborn Slayers struggling with the Turok-han. It was Cordy who first saw her, and dodged through the battle towards the girl.

"What do you think you're doing?" the witch hissed in anger, grabbing Caddie's shoulder. "Get the hell out of here!"

"I'm needed," Caddie replied, shrugging out of Cordy's grasp. "They called, and I came. It makes sense now, Cordelia."

Cordy stared slack-jawed at the girl for a moment before Caddie suddenly pushed Cordy aside, grabbing the stake from Cordelia's hand and holding it up. A Turok-han that had been charging toward them impaled itself on the point and exploded into dust.

"It's almost time," Caddie said, handing the stake back. "Warn Mother and Father. Tell them to get the Slayers out. It's almost time."

"Warn them about what?" Cordelia demanded, but Caddie merely started to walk away, slipping unnoticed through the mayhem. Cordelia shook her head and started after the girl.

Caddie stood at the edge of the drop. Below her teemed the army of uber-vamps, all fighting to get their turn at the Slayers. Buffy swung the Scythe, beheading two of the vampires, and then saw her daughter serenely watching the violence.

"Caddie!" Buffy screamed. "Caddie, get back!"

"I can do this," Caddie called back, and stretched her arms out to her sides. She burst into brilliant light, as if a drop of the sun had fallen from the sky and taken residence under the Hellmouth. The Turok-han nearest her immediately burned to ashes, their shrieks of pain echoing over the sounds of battle.

Spike flinched away from the light, stumbling back toward the stairs. Buffy saw that and waved at him frantically, gesturing for him to get away, to get out. He vanished up the stairs.

Caddie threw her head back, glowing even brighter. Beams of light shot out from her into the cavern, and every vampire they touched vanished with a scream of agony. The Slayers gradually stopped fighting as their enemies crumbled before their eyes. They stared at Caddie with their mouths hanging open.

The beams of light emanating from Caddie's slender form began to coalesce into a pillar of sunshine blasting straight up into the seal. Angel took a step towards her and the ground trembled beneath him. Rubble began falling from the ceiling.

"Get out!" Buffy yelled. "Everybody get out! Angel, get them out of here!" Angel hesitated, clearly torn, but Buffy called, "I'll take care of Caddie. Go!"

"Everybody to the surface!" Angel called, starting to herd the Slayers towards the stairs. "Faith, Rona, Vi! Come on!"

The light was so intense that Caddie was no longer visible. Buffy shielded her eyes as she walked closer. "Caddie, that's enough!" she called over the noise of the trembling earth. "They're all dead. Let's go!"

"Not everyone," Caddie's voice came back, disembodied and echoing. "One more…"

Out of the shadows on the other side of the cavern exploded the First in its monstrous form, horns and grasping claws. "Defeating my army doesn't mean you've defeated me!" it shrieked, looming over the ledge. Its darkness swallowed up the light until the ledge was the only lit area in the cavern.

"No, but this will," Caddie replied. A single, white-hot beam of light shot from her chest straight into the First's incorporeal form. It shrieked and writhed as if trying to escape, but the light appeared to have pinned it in place. The tremors increased, huge chunks of the cavern roof tumbling to the ground yards below.

"Caddie!" Buffy yelled.

"Not yet!" the girl yelled back. "I stand at the edge of darkness and invoke the light! I call forth the sun to vanquish the night! I banish you! Be gone!"

The First screamed again, a nightmare of sound, and then it folded up into itself and vanished with a flash of darkness. Caddie's light vanished as abruptly and she fell to her knees, her chest heaving.

"I did it," she whispered, a beatific smile on her face.

Buffy stared at her daughter. Her words had reminded Buffy rather forcibly of Giles' prophecy. Cadence was the Sun-caller, and she had just saved the world.

A boulder crashed into the ledge, tearing part of it away, and Buffy jerked back to her senses. She grabbed Caddie's arm and dragged her to her feet. "We have to get out of here!"

"Oh. I can do that, too!" Caddie replied, and threw her arms around Buffy's waist. There was another flash of light, and they were gone.

*****

Giles swerved sharply when something thudded against the roof. He glanced out the side window, fearing that it was rubble from the collapsing buildings. He was barely ahead of the implosion and he stomped harder on the gas pedal.

Behind him, the bus was full of noise. Slayers shouted to each other as the wounded moaned in pain. Wesley and Oz were holding onto a struggling Angel, who screamed the names of his wife and younger daughter.

Willow sat on the bench beside to door, clinging to the seat and craning her neck to look behind them. Her hair, still white from the spell, hid her expression from Giles. "We're clear!" she finally yelled, and Giles eased onto the brakes. As soon as the bus came to a complete stop, he jumped out of his seat and lunged out the door.

He skidded to a halt at the side of the bus to watch Buffy jump down from the roof of the bus. The Slayer put the Scythe on the ground and held out her arms. Caddie jumped and Buffy caught her, setting her gently on her feet.

"Good lord," Giles gasped, staring past the two women to the crater where Sunnydale had once stood. "Who did that?"

"Caddie," Buffy said with a proud smile, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulders. Caddie offered a tired smile in return. Giles was nearly knocked aside as Angel raced past him to gather Buffy and Caddie into his arms, holding them tightly against his chest.

Faith came up to stand beside Giles. "Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business," she observed dryly.

"There is another one in Cleveland," he reminded her. "Not to spoil the moment."

Others began piling off the bus to stare at the remains of their hometown.

"So…" Oz broke the silence. "I guess we saved the world?"

Willow, who was leaning on him, still drained from her spell, smiled faintly. "We changed the world," she corrected her husband gently. "I can feel them. All over. Slayers awakening everywhere."

"We'll have to find them," Doyle said, crossing his arms and squinting at the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign. It creaked, tilted, and then fell back into the crater. Doyle nodded in satisfaction.

"We will," Cordy said, coming up behind him. She took his face in both hands and kissed him soundly. "I'm glad you're alive, by the way."

Doyle grinned and kissed her back. "Me, too."

Wesley grimaced as he checked under the haphazard bandage on his arm. "We have a lot of work ahead of us," he said.

Faith gave him a look that bordered on pleading. "Can I push him in?" she begged. "Cause I want to sleep, yo. For like a week."

"That sounds good," Caddie said. "Dad? I think I'm going to faint." With that, her eyes fluttered shut and she slumped into Angel's arms. He lifted her easily and cradled her body, a dreamy smile plastered across his face. "She called me 'Dad,'" he said to no one in particular.

Andrew stooped, picked up a rock, and walked over to the crater's edge. He dropped the rock in, watching its progress down the canyon wall. After it reached the bottom, he turned back to face the others.

"Now what do we do?" he asked.

-THE END-


End file.
